


Youth

by ReminiscentRevelry



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Background Relationships, Blood and Injury, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Not Beta Read, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Racism, Slice of Life, Slurs, a bunch of queer characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22152157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReminiscentRevelry/pseuds/ReminiscentRevelry
Summary: Needing a fresh start, the STRQ household moves to Vale. Between questions of identity, family, and morality, Ruby and Yang learn about themselves and their new friends throughout their time at Beacon High School.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Adam Taurus, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Raven Branwen/Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 71
Kudos: 143





	1. Youth

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [You and Me (and Everyone in Between)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21382999) by [LacePendragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LacePendragon/pseuds/LacePendragon). 
  * Inspired by [They Can't Steal the Love You're Born to Find](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18278552) by [timeespaceandpixiedust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeespaceandpixiedust/pseuds/timeespaceandpixiedust). 
  * Inspired by [We Are Young](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/548602) by artsy-alice. 



> STRQ+RY move to Vale and try to adjust.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> STRQ+RY move to Vale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Youth by Daughter

“ _Shadows settle on the place that you left,_

 _Our minds are troubled by the emptiness._ ”

The house in Vale was different from the farmhouse in Patch. Patch was cozy, a farmhouse amidst the trees. Vale was sprawling lawns, spacious and green. The farmhouse had been brown wood, reminiscent of log cabins. Vale’s house was picturesque nuclear family, white paneled and blue shuttered with a picket fence and a paved driveway.

Ruby didn’t tell anyone that she preferred Patch as they pulled in. She didn’t think it would be helpful. Instead, she clipped Zwei’s leash onto his collar and hopped out of the car as soon as it stopped, going into the yard while Raven opened up the U-Haul.

“Ruby, keep Zwei hooked while we unload the car,” Tai called out. The door thrown open, Yang and Summer carried the bags and suitcases, disappearing into the house to put them in the proper rooms. Raven and Tai carried the couch to the living room, shouting for Qrow to help them. Qrow, laden with boxes of books and decorations and knick-knacks, gave Ruby an eye-roll and followed them in slowly, immediately tripping on the porch steps and crashing into the foyer.

“Oof, bad luck,” Yang said with a click of her tongue as she stepped over him.

“Don’t even start, firecracker,” Qrow grumbled and rolled onto his back. Summer offered him a hand that he waved off, getting up on his own. 

She shrugged at Ruby and ruffled her hair as she passed. “Your books are already in your room,” she said. “Why don’t you and Zwei tackle those? Yang and I will bring up the rest of your stuff.”

“Okay, Mom.” Ruby tugged Zwei upstairs with her. There were boxes stacked on her bed and bags on her desk and chair. Summer and Raven had moved most of the large furniture from Patch while Tai and Qrow had packed up the house. For the first time ever she wasn’t sharing a room with Yang. Instead, Yang would be across the hall in her own room.

She rubbed away the wetness in her eyes and started unpacking. Clothes in the dresser, jewelry box on top, books on shelves, sheets on bed. Zwei went straight to sleep in her bed once she made it, stretched out on the blanket. It was red and patterned with darker roses. It matched her pillowcases and curtains and rose-shaped rug. 

It wasn’t until she opened the box on her desk that she lost steam. On top was a picture she’d had on her nightstand in Patch, one of her and Yang and their friends during Yang’s 16th birthday dinner. Her lip wobbled when she looked at it, tears welling up again. 

“You can still talk to them, you know.”

She jumped, whipping around to look at Raven leaning in her doorway. She set the photo face down on her desk, wrapping her arms around herself to tug her cape closer.

“I know, Mama,” she said. Raven sighed and wrapped her arms loosely around Ruby’s shoulders, resting her chin on her head. “I just miss them.”

“Once we’re all settled, I’m sure Fox and Coco would love to visit.” She picked up the photo, tapping her thumb on the frame. “Coco especially, she’d love the boutiques here.”

Ruby snorted. “Fox would say it all looked the same to him,” she whispered, voice cracking.

Raven huffed. “He would, the little shit.” 

Ruby laughed at that, voice breaking and tears flowing free. Raven pulled her into a hug, running a hand through her hair.

“It’ll be okay,” she murmured, kissing the top of Ruby’s head again. “You just need to give it time.”

Time, it seemed, would fix everything. But for someone as young and impatient as Ruby, she couldn’t help but wish for something quicker.

* * *

It wasn’t until late in the evening that Yang finally got to collapse into her bed. Limbs sprawled out and hair a wild mess behind her she groaned at how sore her muscles were from carrying boxes and bags and her bike into the house and garage. She felt a bit bad that she’d turned down Ruby’s offer to share a room so Uncle Qrow could have a bedroom, but he’d assured them he was fine with the basement (it had its own bathroom and a small kitchenette and a full floor between him and the rest of them,) and she’d been hoping for her own space. With the classes she was going to be taking once school started, she didn’t want to keep Ruby awake while she did her homework. Plus, she got to decorate how she pleased.

Her phone buzzed on her nightstand, a text from Coco lighting up her display.

 **Coco:** You get there safe?

 **Yang:** I literally just laid down how did you do that

 **Coco:** I’m psychic, Xiao Long. How’s Vale?

 **Yang:** Populated. Green. Warm. Definitely not Patch.

 **Coco:** And how are you?

Yang bit her lip, not sure how to put her emotions to words. Coco had always been good at reading her, even without being able to hear or see her.

 **Yang:** Ruby’s already cried today, Qrow and Dad snapped at each other, and Mom looks exhausted. This has been hard and I don’t really know what to do.

 **Coco:** Moving in itself is a stressful thing and your circumstances are definitely adding to it, but it’s not your job to fix everything Yang. Just don’t go out of your way to cause trouble and things will work out.

Yang sighed, tapping out a quick ‘thanks’ and dropping her phone back on her bed. Her need to make things right was what got them into trouble in the first place, what made them leave Patch. She knew she had to quell it, but it was _hard_ . She didn’t like it when Tai and Qrow argued or Summer was exhausted or Ruby was upset. She wanted to help them but she didn’t know _how_. 

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, she got up and flopped into her desk chair. She’d shoved it under the window and tied back the curtains. To her disappointment, the ambient light from the streetlamps and the neighboring houses made it impossible to see any stars but the brightest. Even worse, her window looked straight at the neighbor’s house, into a bedroom parallel to her own. It didn’t look like anyone was in it; all she could see was a purple rug and a black desk, a book open on top.

She looked at her own desk, eyes falling on the photos under the glass. Photos from their parents’ wedding, her and Ruby in yellow and red dresses at a middle school dance, Qrow playing with them as toddlers, the farewell party for Yatsu right before her freshman year, her and Ruby’s birthday parties and dinners. She halted on the most recent photo from prom in the spring. Coco, a junior at the time, had taken Yang as her date, while Fox had gone with Velvet. They’d taken group pictures in the backyard, Coco in a button-up and waistcoat and slacks, Fox in a sharp suit, her in a golden dress, Velvet in a dark purple one. Coco’s tie and boutonniere and the sash around Yang’s waist and the ribbon braided in her hair were the same dark purple as Velvet’s dress and Fox’s tie. Velvet’s hair was in an updo that didn’t come close to matching the height of her ears, but she had a gold ribbon through it like Yang’s dress. It was obvious at a glance that they were meant to coordinate and Yang’s heart hurt when she looked at it.

Gently, she lifted the glass and took the picture out to put it in her journal, closing it slowly. Softly, carefully, like it was a delicate thing made of glass or spun sugar, she set the journal in her bedside drawer and shut it. Her heart still hurt but one less reminder of where she’d gone wrong would help her to heal. 

“Fresh start,” she muttered, tucking herself into bed. Zwei yipped at her from the end of the bed, cocking his head when she looked at him. “Time for a fresh start.”

She tried not to think of the picture, how she’d held it like it was delicate. She tried not to think about how her family had been treating her like she was delicate. Glass was delicate. Picture frames and windows and jewelry were delicate. Ruby, prone to emotions and tears, was delicate. Summer, with a bleeding heart and more compassion than she could hold in herself, was delicate. Yang, burying her face in her pillow, ignored the burning tears and told herself that she was many things, but she was _not_ delicate.

She couldn’t be.

* * *

It didn’t get much easier for the Branwen-Rose-Xiao Long household right away. Things were lost or misplaced in the move that they didn’t realize until they needed them, among them Qrow’s blazer and black tie (in Raven’s closet), Summer’s files for older cases (at the bottom of Tai’s box of lesson plans), Raven’s socket and lug wrenches (in Ruby’s track bag), Zwei’s license and vet history (in Summer’s file for _Yang’s_ medical records), and half of their kitchen utensils (lost, completely.) They went into July disorganized, irritable, and tired. And poor. It wasn’t surprising - moves were expensive and they’d had to look for a house with enough rooms and space to accomodate all of them. 

They didn’t mention it around Yang and Ruby, but Yang had seen the bills on Summer’s desk and heard the late-night murmurings after Ruby had gone to bed and they thought she was asleep. Talks of money and work and health that Yang knew she wasn’t supposed to hear, but voices carried and Yang could put the pieces together easily enough.

Summer had worked at her law firm’s branch in Patch for years and was struggling with the transition to Vale. She dealt with divorce and custody cases and couldn’t pass them off to a different lawyer halfway through, so she was trying to balance commuting to Patch to finish up her last cases while also starting new cases in the city. Tai was a history teacher and was trying to set up his classroom and curriculum between finding the problems in the house and fixing them. Qrow had landed a job bartending at a club downtown and Raven had gotten in contact with an old friend who owned a repair shop, but neither of them started for another week. Setting up their bill payments and utilities and internet, combined with school supplies, their class dues, Ruby’s track and Yang’s AP fees, they were stretched thin.

Yang tried not to think about her birthday. Last year she’d gone to the movies and had dinner with Ruby, Coco, Fox, and Velvet. She couldn’t do that this year and she didn’t really want to do anything. 

She’d tried to distract herself by reading books and watching the neighbors, but the longer she was in Vale, the worse she felt, and the less she felt like her family should have to make her feel better. She hadn’t been able to help them, so why should they help her?

Unfortunately for Yang, Ruby had a precise memory and calendar reminders set for every birthday. She’d woken up early and baked muffins, the smell of them waking up Summer and Qrow. She whacked Qrow’s hand with a wooden spoon and told him to wake up Yang, arranging the muffins on a plate and counting out sixteen to put in a circle around the seventeenth, sticking a candle in it. 

“Do you…” Ruby trailed off, leaning into Summer. “Do you think Yang’s okay, Mom?”

She hummed, combing her fingers through Ruby’s hair. “I think she’s adjusting, the same as the rest of us,” Summer said softly. “She’s a lot like your uncle. She blames herself for the bad things that happen.”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Ruby said. 

“It’ll be a while before she accepts that, rosebud,” Summer whispered. She kissed Ruby’s forehead, smiling when Yang thumped down the stairs, her hair a tangled mess.

“Happy birthday!” Ruby said, bouncing on her toes.

“You didn’t have to,” Yang mumbled, letting Ruby pull her into the breakfast nook by her arm. Summer sat on her other side, producing a comb from seemingly nowhere to tidy up Yang’s hair.

“Of course we did,” Summer said. “Seventeen is a big year.” Upstairs, they could hear Raven shouting at Qrow. He’d gone in to wake up her and Tai and interrupted something, apparently.

“Is it now?” Yang asked, looking at her through the corner of her eye. “What’s so special about seventeen?”

“You’re only a year to eighteen, now,” Summer said. Yang snickered at her but let her continue, “You got your motorcycle permit nine months ago, right?”

“Yeah, but my bike’s not finished yet,” Yang said. She shook her head when Qrow came flying down the stairs, Raven on his heels. She caught him and put him in a headlock, rubbing her knuckles against his head.

“Always - knock - before - coming - _in!_ ” she said, pushing him into a chair. He stumbled, almost losing his balance.

“Gods, Raven! Fine! I’m sorry, I’ll never wake you up again!” He shook his head at Ruby, who was cackling.

“Guess Qrow is the one crying ‘uncle’,” Tai said, winking at Yang. “Happy birthday, kiddo.” Raven lit the candle and they all sang to Yang, letting her blow it out once they were finished.

“So?” Tai said. “What’d you wish for?”

“Dad!” Ruby admonished. “It won’t come true if you tell!”

Tai snorted. “C’mon, Rubes, that’s falling stars.”

“It’s _all_ wishes,” Ruby said, crossing her arms. 

Summer snorted as she peeled the wrapping off a muffin. “It’s still a good question,” she said. “What do you wish for, Yang?”

Yang propped her chin on one hand, turning the muffin with the candle in her other. She wished for a lot of things, if she was honest. To hang out with Coco and Fox and Velvet again, for the rattling in her air vent to stop, that Ruby was making friends on the track team, that no one would question why they left Patch, why she was expelled from Signal.

Smaller, she told herself, think smaller. 

“Parts for the bike,” she said at last. “She’s almost done, I just need a few more parts.”

Raven smiled at her, tilting her head toward the garage door in her ‘follow me’ gesture. Yang furrowed her eyebrows, following once Ruby slid out of the nook. Raven stood clear of the door, a small smile on her face. Yang opened it and gasped. 

Her bike - previously unpainted and unfinished - was _done_. Bright yellow paint gradated to orange, a large purple bow on the handlebars. A yellow helmet sat on the seat next to a set of keys.

“Happy birthday,” Raven said.

“It’s…” Yang circled the bike, ghosting her fingers along it. “It’s _done_. You finished her?”

Raven nodded. “One of the detailers painted it and Hazel gave it a thorough inspection. Road-safe, clean as a whistle, and ready to ride.”

Yang grinned. “It’s perfect.”

“Hey, wait, that’s not it!” Tai pointed at the workbench. “Take a look.”

There were two wrapped gifts that she hadn’t noticed. The smaller one had a pair of gold aviators and the larger was a brown bomber jacket, fur-lined and sturdy.

“A few rules!” Tai said.

“Dad,” Ruby whined.

“Never ride without your helmet or jacket,” Raven said. “No exceptions.”

“I’m not dumb, Mama,” Yang said. She twirled the keys on a finger, still looking at the bike almost reverently.

“That wasn’t the first rule,” Tai said, poking Raven in the side. “The first rule is that you have to keep your grades up to maintain driving privileges.”

“No, the first rule is safety,” Summer said. “You have to wear your helmet and jacket, as does anyone you give a ride to. No law-breaking on the bike - no speeding, no DUI or DWI, and don’t stay out past curfew.”

“I have a curfew?”

“ _Vale_ has a curfew,” Qrow corrected. “Minors can’t be on the road between midnight to 5 in the morning unless they’re coming from a school event, to or from work, or with an adult.”

“Tai’s rule is the third rule,” Raven said. “You have to be passing all your classes with at least a C. And you’re in charge of maintaining it.”

Yang grinned, catching Ruby’s eye. “Do we have a second helmet?”

Tai sighed, disappearing into the house and coming back with a cardboard box. “This was supposed to wait till Ruby’s birthday,” he grumbled.

Ruby whooped, pulling out sunglasses, a leather jacket, and a red helmet. “Yang! Yang can we go somewhere?!”

Yang ran inside, beckoning Ruby. “Grab your bag, I’ll get my wallet!” 

“Be back for dinner!” Tai called after them when they ran upstairs.

“We will!” 

Yang revved the engine and Ruby squealed, holding her around the waist as they roared down the street. They both were laughing as Yang drove, Ruby sitting back and looking around at every stoplight, putting the order from the fast food drive-through in her bag once they gave it to her. Yang parked on a bluff overlooking the city, a good half hour from the house.

“That was wicked!” Ruby said, shaking her hair out when she took the helmet off. She still had her cape on, but it was under her jacket, only the hood visible. Heavy boots and sunglasses, paired with her black skirt, red tights, and _Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge_ shirt, her red-tipped black hair looking wild, she looked punk, the way Qrow and Raven looked in their old college photos. 

“Lookin’ good, sis,” Yang said. She opened the compartment behind the bike seat once Ruby hopped down to stow the helmets. Ruby stuck her tongue out at her and sat on a nearby bench, passing Yang her burger and fries. They ate in comfortable silence, looking at the city.

“Hey, Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it my fault?”

“No. It was never your fault.”

Yang looked her in the eye, lilac on silver. Ruby held her gaze evenly, no pity, no shame, no disappointment. It was the same look she’d seen Tai give to failing students he was trying to help pass, that Summer gave to clients who were losing their cases to no fault of their own. She and Raven and Qrow weren’t able to emulate that much gentleness, no matter how hard they tried, but Ruby managed it so naturally that Yang wanted nothing more than to believe her.

Ruby sighed and hopped to her feet. “We haven’t explored Vale, yet,” she said. She pointed to the city. “Let’s try and get to that row of boutiques, we can find something to send to Coco next month.”

Yang welcomed the distraction. She knew the guilt would come clawing back eventually, but Ruby’s honesty helped her feel better for the moment and she couldn’t ask for much more.

_"And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones_

_'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs_

_Setting fire to our insides for fun."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and questions keep me motivated, so tell me what you think! You can find me on tumblr at reminiscentrevelry!


	2. Party Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Yang go to a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Party Tattoos by dodie

“ _Grab a bag, grab a bottle but leave the what if;_

 _You'll see it in the morning after your kicks._ ”

Ruby was glad that Beacon let her join the track team in August. The kids on the team were friendly enough that they’d already told her she could find them during lunch if she wanted to once school started. She wasn’t sure she’d take them up on it - if Yang had the same lunch block as her, she’d pick Yang - but she appreciated the gesture.

“So, Ruby!” Neon bounced in front of her after practice one day, orange tail waving behind her. “There’s a party this Saturday, a sort of end-of-summer bash. You wanna come?”

Ruby looked at her, not releasing her grip on her toes. “Maybe, I’d have to ask my parents,” she said. “And I’d need to find a ride. Where is it?”

“Flynt’s house!” Neon bounced on her toes, tossing her water bottle from hand to hand. “You said you have an older sister, right? Can she drive?”

Ruby thought of Yang’s bike, sitting in the driveway. “Yeah.”

“Cool, she can come, too! She’s a junior, right?” Ruby nodded. “Awesome, I’ll text you the address. See you there, Ruby!” She ran off toward the marching band, leaving Ruby to pack her bag and head to the locker room. She was glad there were showers to use - Yang would have made someone else pick her up if she was sweaty and gross.

“Stinky,” Yang said, wrinkling her nose at Ruby when she walked up. She stuck her tongue out at her, catching the helmet Yang tossed her. Her _bag_ was stinky. She was fine.

“Neon just invited me to a party on Saturday,” Ruby said. She turned her helmet over in her hands, rubbing her thumb over the rose decal Raven had put on it. “Do you - would you -”

“Absolutely,” Yang said, dropping Ruby’s bag in the compartment. “I wanna see what Beacon has to offer.”

Ruby snorted at that. Patch hadn’t had much of a party scene outside of birthdays, Fourth of July, and New Year’s. The closest they’d come to end-of-summer parties were the bonfires people would build to throw their old school papers into.

Tai was hesitant but Summer and Raven gave them permission before Ruby had finished asking. He clearly didn’t like being overruled but relaxed when Yang brightened and pulled Ruby upstairs to help her plan her outfit.

“No drinking,” he told Yang on Saturday. 

“Designated driver, I know, Dad,” she said, holding up her keys on a finger. Summer was braiding her hair and bopped the top of her head with a brush. 

“Keep an eye on Ruby,” she murmured. “Don’t let her get too far away.”

Yang nodded, looking at the breakfast nook, where Raven was doing Ruby’s makeup.

“Don’t drink anything unless you opened it yourself,” Raven said, too quiet for Tai and Summer to hear. “If you set the drink down, it’s dead to you. Unless you see it poured or packed, don’t take it.”

“Packed?” Ruby asked, an eyebrow lifting up. 

Raven leaned forward, drawing sharp wings with her eyeliner. “Pot,” she said simply. “Be cautious, rosebud. If you think something is going to go wrong, it probably is. Trust your gut and keep track of Yang.” 

“Okay, Mama.” Ruby opened her eyes, turning to Yang. “You ready?”

“Back by midnight, girls!” Summer called after them. 

They raised their hands in acknowledgement before leaving on the bike, heading to a neighborhood across the city. Turning into the neighborhood, they could see cars parked all the way down the street. The house the teenagers were all converging on was at the end of the cul-de-sac, large and gray. The people walking from their cars and hanging out on the lawn all paused at the roar of the motorcycle, which Yang slid between two cars.

“Ruby!” Neon waved at her from the driveway, her hair in two buns that resembled cat ears. “Over here!”

“Neon! This is my sister, Yang,” she said, gesturing. Yang lifted a hand, not following too closely. She could see people eyeing her bike and took a second to make sure it was off, locked, and steady on its stand, her keys in her hand.

“Nice bike,” a blond boy said, nodding to it while she put the helmets in the compartment. “What’s the make?”

“It’s a Xiao Long original,” she said. 

He blinked, blue eyes wide. “You _built_ it?”

“Yep.” Yang tucked her keys in her pocket. “I’m Yang.”

“Jaune Arc,” he said, offering a hand. “You’re Ruby’s sister, right?”

Yang nodded. Ruby had disappeared with Neon but she wasn’t too worried. She followed Jaune, letting him introduce her to his girlfriend, Pyrrha. She was as tall as Jaune in her heels and muscular and Yang knew that Coco would have been smitten. She shook off the thought, accepting the soda Pyrrha offered.

“Designated driver, I’m assuming?” she asked. 

“Yeah, Ruby won’t be able to drive for a while.” She tried to scan the room while they talked. She didn’t want to seem rude but she could see Ruby in the kitchen with Neon and didn’t want to lose track of her. 

There were liquor bottles lining the counter behind her and Neon, but Ruby had a diet soda in her hand. Yang was glad she’d convinced her to leave her cape at home. She had a red scarf peeking out from her jacket, a light scrap of fabric taken from one of her old capes, but it worked with her red skater dress and black tights. Tai had tried to talk her out of the heavy combat boots but Ruby refused. They were a staple as much as her cape and Yang had a feeling she felt more comfortable knowing she could slam someone with a steel toe. Knowing Ruby was fine, Yang tuned back into Jaune and Pyrrha’s conversation about classes, interjecting with surprising ease.

In the kitchen, Ruby was trying to follow Neon’s story but she wasn’t sure who some of the people were or where some of the places she named were. She knew Flynt - he was the drum major and Neon’s usual ride to and from track - but she didn’t know Ivori or Kobalt or Ciel. She just nodded and looked at the tattoo that wrapped around Neon’s upper arm while she talked. It was normally covered during track practice by a compression sleeve but she’d shed it for the night, leaving the colorful shooting star on display.

“Neon, I think you’re overwhelming her,” Flynt said, patting the top of Ruby’s head as he came in behind her.

“Hey, Flynt,” Ruby said, lifting her soda in greeting. “Uh, cool party.”

“Thanks,” he said. “You ready for the year to start?”

“Yeah! I got my schedule last week but the only teachers I know are Oobleck and my dad.”

“Your dad is the new history teacher, right?” Flynt asked. “Xiao Long?”

Ruby nodded. “He’s teaching World and Government, I think.”

“We have him for third block,” Flynt said, nodding to Neon. “Most of the teachers are chill. They know their stuff, at least.”

A crash sounded from one of the back rooms and Flynt closed his eyes, sighing.

“Five bucks says it was Nora,” Neon said, her tail swishing behind her. 

“No bet,” Flynt replied. A boy ducked into the kitchen, looking around before grabbing a roll of paper towels.

“Hey, Ren!” Neon chirped. “What happened?”

“Nora and Kobalt started arm wrestling,” he said dryly. Ruby, curious, followed him to the back room. A short ginger girl was arguing with a tall boy with blue hair.

“That was not a draw!” she said. “I won and you know it, Kobalt. _Your_ hand touched the table, so you _lost._ ”

The boy - Kobalt, she guessed - rolled his eyes and walked away. There was a broken end table between them, red plastic cups scattered around the hardwood floor. Ren started ripping off paper towels to mop up the spilled drinks.

“Let me help,” Ruby said, ripping some off herself. 

“Hi!” The girl bounced in front of Ruby. “Nora Valkyrie, nice to meet you.”

“Ruby Rose,” she returned. “Arm wrestling?”

“Yeah, Kobalt kept saying he was stronger than me when _clearly_ he wasn’t!” Nora lifted a chair so Ruby could clean up the beer that had spilled underneath.

“Nora and Kobalt are both on the wrestling team,” Ren explained. 

“And weightlifting,” Nora added. “I could deadlift Ren if I wanted to!”

“Please don’t,” Ren said.

Ruby snorted, listening to their back and forth bickering. They didn’t seem to mind Ruby listening to them while they cleaned up the mess. Nora picked up the broken pieces of the end table and put them against the wall. When she and Ren drifted off to find some of their friends, Ruby went back into the kitchen. Neon and Flynt were gone, but a boy with silver hair was looking at the different alcohols. He spotted Ruby in the doorway and held up an empty cup.

“Want a drink?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said. She leaned against the counter, watching him pour different things into the cup. Raven’s advice - _unless you see it poured or packed, don’t take it_ \- rang through her head as he added different things. Vodka, rum, blue liqueur, ice, 7-Up. He handed Ruby to cup, watching as she swished the cup before taking a gulp.

It _burned._ She felt it burn her tongue and throat and covered her mouth, trying to keep herself from gagging. She coughed, bile rising in her throat, and scrambled toward the sink, leaning over it as she tried to catch her breath. She didn’t vomit but she did hold the counter to steady herself.

“First time drinking?” he asked. He had a drink of his own that he was sipping leisurely, like the alcohol didn’t bother him at all.

“Yeah,” Ruby said, thumping a fist against her chest. She had tears in her eyes but the burning had subsided, at least. She took another sip, wincing slightly but swallowing it easier this time.

“My bad, that might’ve been a bit strong for a first drink.” He tipped more 7 Up in her cup. “I’m Mercury.”

“Ruby,” she replied. The soda masked the alcohol even more and she drank it faster, feeling herself get warmer. She noticed he was wearing a Linkin Park hoodie and asked him about music. The tension she’d been holding in her shoulder and spine dissipated as they talked and she found herself laughing at his jokes. He could do a spot-on impression of Dr. Oobleck that had her cackling, and for the first time in months, she didn’t think of Patch.

Yang had said goodbye to Jaune and Pyrrha when their friends Ren and Nora joined them, accepting their phone numbers and agreeing to find them at lunch when school started. She drifted around the house aimlessly, watching her new classmates. Neon and Flynt were messing with the stereos, people were milling about the backyard with drinks and snacks in hand, some were dancing in open spaces, others were making out with their significant others.

Rounding a corner, she bumped into someone. She caught the water bottle they dropped.

“Sorry,” she said, offering it to them - to her, she corrected herself. A girl with long black hair and cat ears. Yang stepped to the side, trying to place why the girl looked familiar.

“It’s okay,” the girl said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re my neighbor,” she said without thinking. “On Axis Drive, right? The black house?”

The girl blinked, her ears flicking up. “Yeah. You moved here in June, didn’t you? With the bike.”

“Yang Xiao Long,” she said, holding out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Blake Belladonna.” Blake held her bottle on her hip. “You… you ride a motorcycle, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s outside right now.” Yang looked around, rubbing the back of her neck. She tried not to look at Blake too closely. She was in black skinny jeans and a purple tank top with black laces on the side, a lanyard tied through one of her belt loops. “You haven’t, uh, seen my sister around have you? Short, black and red hair, red dress and leather jacket?”

Blake shook her head. “She can’t be too far,” she said, shoving a hand in her pocket. “Do you need help looking?”

“I won’t turn it down,” Yang said. Thankfully, Blake knew her way around the house and led Yang around easily. She pointed out various people that would be juniors with them once she learned that they were in the same year, but didn’t they didn’t find Ruby.

“The only places we didn’t check were the garage,” Blake said when they emerged from the basement, “or the kitchen.”

Before Yang could suggest the kitchen, someone shouted, “Hey, Blake!”

Blake rolled her eyes when a boy with a monkey tail and an unbuttoned shirt ran over to her. She introduced him as Sun, wincing slightly when he threw an arm around her shoulders.

“Have you seen Neptune anywhere?” he asked after introducing himself to Yang. “Guy with blue hair in an undercut, super cute?”

“Neptune is Sun’s boyfriend,” Blake explained to Yang. To Sun, she continued, “He was with Scarlet in the den.”

“You’re the best, Blake!” He bumped his head against hers and squeezed her with his tail, running off again.

“He’s friendly,” Yang said, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Blake said, slipping through the crowd with Yang on her heels. “And we kind of dated for about two weeks before he figured out that he’s gay.”

“Ouch.” Yang winced. “Been there before.”

“Did it take much to figure out they were gay?” Blake asked.

Yang tripped over a rug. “Took kissing to figure out that boys were not for me,” she said, casual as she could. “It was in elementary school, though.”

“Eighth grade,” Blake said. “Right before the school dance.”

“That’s rough,” Yang said. 

Blake shrugged. “It is what it is.” She paused in the kitchen doorway, blocking Yang’s entrance. “Mercury?”

“‘Sup, Belladonna? Haven’t seen you at a party in a while,” Yang peeked around Blake to see Ruby chatting with a boy, both of them holding red cups. Ruby’s cheeks were red and she was holding her jacket tight around her.

“Ruby?” Yang asked, squeezing past Blake.

“Yang!” She threw her hands up, stumbling slightly toward Yang. “This is Mercury, he’s a junior and he made me a drink and it tasted really good.”

Yang put an arm around Ruby to steady her, looking between Blake and Mercury when Ruby sank into her.

“You gave a freshman a drink?” Blake asked, her voice bordering on a growl.

Mercury shrugged. “I offered it and she took it,” he said. “What’s wrong?”

“You always make them too strong is what’s wrong,” Blake said. 

“She can handle herself.”

“She’s _drunk_ ,” Blake said. 

Yang stomped down the fury rising in her throat. “You better not have been planning anything,” she said, eyes flaring red.

“I wasn’t planning anything, blondie,” Mercury snapped. “We were just talking.”

Yang shook her head, looking at Blake. “I need to get her home,” she said. Gently, she guided Ruby to the bike, Blake following them. She swore when she saw the bike.

“What’s wrong?” Blake asked.

“Iss the bike!” Ruby said, patting the seat. “Love thiss bike.”

“She’s not gonna be able to hold on if we ride the bike home,” Yang said, grabbing Ruby when she started to twirl in circles. She cursed herself for not taking up Qrow’s offer to use his car.

“She can ride with me if you want,” Blake said. “I live next door to you, anyway, and I was gonna head out soon.”

“Hi!” Ruby jumped toward Blake, managing to keep her balance. “I’m Ruby and that’s my sister Yang and this is Yang’s bike!”

“Blake,” she said simply. “I live next door to you. The black house?”

“The Faunus family,” Ruby said. “You and your mom have cat ears but I haven’t seen what your dad has. Is he a Faunus? Is he human?” She leaned back on her heels, looking between Blake and Yang. “Am I being rude?”

“Just more forward than I expected,” Blake said, offering Ruby a hand. “He is, he has retractable claws.”

“Claws are cool,” Ruby said, letting Blake lead her to a black sedan. “One of our friends back home is a Faunus, her name is Velvet, but she moved back to Menagerie. I miss her. Yang does, too.”

Blake looked at Yang, who was pushing her bike after them. Once Ruby was buckled into the front seat she mounted the bike, wearing her yellow helmet.

“Have you ever been to Menagerie?” Ruby asked, slurring her words together. 

“Once,” Blake said, turning the AC to blast them with cold air. “My dad grew up in Menagerie. He goes there for work sometimes.”

“Velvet moved from Menagerie to Patch when we were little but now she’s gone back,” Ruby said. She slumped in the seat, playing with the ends of her scarf. “I don’t think she wanted to. I think her parents were scared after what happened.”

“What happened?” Blake asked.

Ruby shook her head. “That’s Yang’s story,” she said. “Where is Yang?”

“Yang’s following us on her bike,” Blake said, checking the mirror to make sure Yang was behind them. “She was worried you’d fall off the bike.”

“Yang worries a lot about people she loves,” Ruby said matter-of-factly. “She should worry more about herself. She looked like she was gonna fight Mercury.”

“Mercury shouldn’t have given you such a strong drink,” Blake said.

“We were talking about music.” Ruby leaned against the window. “We both like MCR and Fall Out Boy and Panic.”

“Good choices,” Blake said, pulling into her driveway. “Wait there.”

Yang had parked the bike in her own garage before jogging to Blake’s driveway, where Blake was helping Ruby out of the car.

“Thanks,” she said, an arm around Ruby’s waist.

“Anytime,” Blake said with a small smile. “See you around.”

“Bye Blake!” Ruby said, waving. Yang gave her a small wave of her own, guiding Ruby home. Summer and Tai were asleep and Qrow was downstairs, but Raven was in the kitchen.

“Mama!” Ruby hugged her, nuzzling into her shoulder. “I had fun.”

“You sound drunk, rosebud,” Raven said, stroking her hair.

“I might be.” Ruby giggled. Raven shook her head fondly and helped Yang take Ruby upstairs, pulling out pajamas and make-up wipes and Advil. Once Ruby was tucked in, she tugged on Yang’s braid, sitting her down.

“Sorry,” Yang murmured.

“For what?” Raven asked. She combed out Yang’s hair, letting it flow freely in waves.

“I didn’t watch Ruby close enough and she got drunk.”

Raven shook her head, kissing Yang’s forehead. “You’re not your sister’s keeper, Yang,” she whispered. “You’re not responsible for her. You can look out for her, certainly, but her choices are her own.”

“But if she’d gotten hurt-”

“She can’t learn hard lessons if she can’t make bad decisions.” Raven looked her in the eye, red on purple. “You’re only responsible for your own actions, Yang.”

Yang didn’t believe her but nodded anyway, bidding her goodnight. Instead of going to bed - it was only 11:45 - she sat at her desk, staring at the photos under the glass. After a while, something hit her window. She saw Blake sitting across from her and opened her window, leaning on her elbows.

“Is your sister okay?” Blake asked. 

“Sleeping it all off,” Yang said. “She’ll have a hell of a hangover tomorrow.”

Blake shrugged. “Live and learn.”

“I guess.” Yang propped her head on her hand, looking at Blake, the window shutters bordering her, the side of her house. There wasn’t much distance, maybe fifteen feet, but it was enough that they could talk at a normal volume. 

“I’ve got to go to bed,” Blake said, “but I’m glad you and Ruby are okay. Good night, Yang.”

“Night, Blake,” she said. “See you at school.”

Blake smiled at her and she pretended her heart didn’t flutter. “See you then.”

She shut the window and laid down on her bed, staring at the pride flag she’d pinned to her ceiling and telling herself that it was the start of a friendship, nothing more, nothing less. No matter how many butterflies her stomach kicked up.

_“We're not bruised, they're just party tattoos_

_And that colourful mess is just colourful regret.”_


	3. Teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School starts and Ruby and Yang make some friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

“ _The boys and girls in the clique_

_The awful names that they stick_

_You're never gonna fit in much, kid._ ”

Ruby and Yang turned down Tai’s offer to drive them in favor of taking the bike. When they left in the morning, they saw two kids join Blake in her sedan. She waved to them before driving off. She was glad they’d left early when she swung the bike into a parking spot close to the school.

“Should we leave the helmets in the bike?” Ruby asked, shaking her hair out. 

“We can shove them in my locker,” Yang said. “Our jackets, too. You have everything? Schedule, lunch, phone, track stuff?”

Ruby nodded, hoisting her bag on her shoulders. Yang pulled her phone out of the side pocket it was peeking out of, tucking it in the main pocket of Ruby’s bag.

“Yang, it’s fine, I got it!” Ruby shrugged her off and watched Blake pull into the spot beside them, waving when she opened her door. “Morning, Blake!”

“Hey, Ruby, Yang.” The car beeped when she locked it. “Have you met Penny and Oscar?” She gestured to the two kids she’d driven.

“Nope.” Ruby introduced herself and Yang, who leaned against the bike and looked at Blake.

“Starting a taxi service?” Yang asked with a grin.

Blake snorted. “They live in the house next to yours, their dad offered me gas money to drive them.”

“Good deal.” She looked around, muttering a swear when she saw that Ruby was already heading toward the school with Oscar and Penny. “Ruby! Your helmet!”

Ruby darted back and shoved her helmet and jacket at Yang before zipping back. 

Yang shook her head, looking at Blake, who shouted after them, “Oscar, Penny! Meet me at Penny’s locker after seventh!”

“Oh, to be young and full of energy,” Yang said, hoisting the helmets on her hip and adjusting her bag as they walked. “That’ll last a week.”

“I dunno,” Blake said, tilting her head. “Your sister is full of energy.”

“She gets it from Mom. Mama is betting she’ll either have no energy as an adult or be a motivational speaker.” Yang looked around the halls, peering at the numbers on the lockers. Students were hugging each other and squealing at their friends while teachers stood in the doorways, giving directions.

“What number are you looking for?” Blake asked. Yang told her and Blake snorted, turning on her heels and leading her to the hall near the counselor’s offices.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Yang said. “Need to stow anything?”

Blake shook her head. “I don’t use my locker till winter,” she said. “Who’s your first block?”

Yang dug her schedule out of her pocket, unfolding it for Blake to see. “Peach,” she said simply.

“Same as me,” Blake said. She took the lead, guiding Yang through the halls. 

“I hope you’re good at English,” Yang said. “I’m more of a math-science person.”

“Guess you’re in luck.” Blake took one of the seats at the back of the room, dropping her bag on the floor. “You can help me with Stats, then?”

“Tit for tat,” Yang said as she flopped into the seat beside her. More people were trickling in and she recognized Ren and Pyrrha sitting in the front row, Flynt and Neptune in the middle of the room. Most of them didn’t pay Blake or Yang any mind, though a boy with bright red hair nodded and sat in the seat in front of her.

“I don’t want to drive you off,” Blake murmured as the seats filled up. “But I should warn you that I’m not very popular.”

Yang looked at the other students, noting that Blake was the only Faunus in the room. She pulled out her notebook and ripped out a sheet of paper, jotting down her phone number and passing it to Blake. 

“You helped me and Ruby,” she whispered back, “and you were nice to Ruby even though she blew past all social conventions. That’s enough for me.”

She pretended not to notice Blake’s soft smile or how she relaxed in her seat. They went quiet when Peach started taking roll, tuning into the lesson.

* * *

Ruby learned very quickly that Oscar and Penny lived next door to her and Yang, their dad was an engineer, they were freshmen like her, they were both adopted, and they had some of the same classes. They were both in her first block - math - and in her gym and English classes, Penny had art and history with her, and Oscar was in her science class. 

“Your sister,” Penny said, leaning over her worksheet, “she’s friends with Blake?”

“I guess,” Ruby said. She tapped her pencil on the desk, frowning at her paper. “They met at Flynt’s party Saturday.”

Penny blinked. “Blake went to a party?”

“Yeah.” Ruby looked at Penny, surprised by her wide eyes. “Is that not… normal?”

Penny shook her head, turning back to her desk. “Blake normally stays home or goes out on her own,” she said. “The only people I’ve ever seen her hang out with were Sun and Ilia, but Ilia moved away last year and Sun spends more time with Neptune.”

“She doesn’t hang out with you guys?”

“Not since we were all in elementary school,” Oscar said. They went quiet when the teacher walked by to check their progress. “I wanted to ask you where your family was from. You moved here in June, right?”

“We moved here from Patch,” Ruby said. 

“May I ask why?” Penny watched the teacher walk around. When Ruby hesitated, she continued, “You don’t have to. What did you get for number seven?”

Conversation moving away from dangerous territory, Ruby was tense until the end of class. She liked Penny and Oscar, but she didn’t want them to ask Yang the same question. She didn’t want to think about Patch, and the more she sank into her schoolwork, the easier it was to push Patch from her mind.

* * *

Yang was glad Pyrrha offered to be her lab partner in chemistry but turned down her offer to join her for lunch, spotting Blake at a table in the library. She pulled out a chair across from her, dropping her bag onto the table with a _thunk_.

“So is Port actually a misogynist,” she said, yanking her lunch out of her bag, “or does he just have chronic foot-in-mouth syndrome?”

Blake snickered, covering her mouth when she laughed. “Would you be surprised if I told you Port is Sun’s dad?”

“Really?”

Blake nodded, putting her book away. “He was adopted by Port and Oobleck when we were in elementary school. Third grade, I think?”

Yang blinked, a chip halfway to her mouth. “Port and Oobleck are gay?”

“Oh yeah,” Blake said, unwrapping a tuna sandwich. “How Sun didn’t realize _he_ was gay is beyond me.”

“Hey, some people take longer to figure it out.” Yang glanced at her phone, setting an alarm for the end of lunch. 

“And some people take a kiss in elementary school,” Blake returned.

Yang pointed at Blake with a chip. “ _Exactly._ ”

Blake’s phone buzzed beside her bag. She frowned at it, sighing at the text on her display. Instead of replying, she clicked the display off and shoved it in her bag.

“Parents?” Yang asked.

Blake shook her head. “Boyfriend,” she said. “I told him not to text me during school but I guess he figured out when I have lunch.”

“Is he in any of our classes?”

Blake shook her head, not looking at Yang. “He doesn’t go here,” she said. 

Yang nodded, glancing at her phone when it lit up. A Snapchat from Coco that was just a picture of her and Fox, ‘miss you <3’ written on the banner. She screenshotted it, sending a ‘:P’ back.

“Girlfriend?” Blake asked.

“Just some friends from Patch,” Yang said, putting her phone in her pocket. 

“Ruby said you had a friend from Menagerie,” Blake said carefully, looking at her food instead of Yang. “Velvet?”

Yang blinked. She hadn’t asked what Ruby had said once she was in Blake’s car, but she hadn’t expected that. “Yeah, we did,” she said. “Do, I guess. She hasn’t actually messaged us much since she left.”

“Ruby said that something happened that made you move here,” Blake said, “and that it was why Velvet moved to Menagerie. Can… Can I ask?”

Yang paused, looking at her bag of chips, at her chipped purple nail polish, at the callouses on her fingers from holding pens and wrenches.

“I’d…” She crossed her arms. “I’d rather not talk about it, honestly. It’s hard to think about.”

Blake nodded, crumpling up her trash and tossing it in the bin. “So who were the friends that texted you?”

“Fox and Coco,” Yang said. “We’ve been talking about them coming here to surprise Ruby for her birthday.”

She and Blake fell into easy conversation, questions about Velvet left behind, but Yang could feel the guilt poking at her heart again.

* * *

Yang joined Blake by Penny’s locker to wait for the freshmen. The rest of the school was trickling out to the buses and cars, loud and excited. She spotted Sun and Neptune under a stairwell, heads close as they talked to each other. It was cute, she decided, pointing them out to Blake.

At least, it was cute until someone threw a book at them, shouting a slur. Neptune ducked behind Sun, who put his fists up.

“Say that to my face, shithead!” he shouted, stomping toward the kid in question.

“What are you gonna do about it, _animal?_ ” the kid sneered.

Yang grabbed Blake’s arm when she started to rush forward, out of Sun’s way. He slammed his fist into the kid’s ear, tail lashing behind him.

“Get a teacher!”

“Fight!”

Yang shot forward to grab the kid by his shirt collar, yanking him away from Sun. “Back off, dickhead,” she said, shoving him away.

“Figures the damn animal has to get a girl to fight for him,” he spat. He jerked his head to Blake, who was talking to a shaking Neptune. “Bet you’re gonna get that terrorist in, too, huh?”

Yang stepped closer, getting in his face. She was only a few inches taller, but it was enough to make him stumble back. 

“Keep your mouth shut,” she growled, “or I’ll make you.”

“That a promise, sweetheart?” he asked, a cocky grin on his face.

She pulled her arm back to punch -

“Break it up!”

She dropped her fist, turning to where her dad was standing between her and Sun, arms crossed. She stepped back, letting Tai talk to the kid, and looked at Sun.

“Sorry,” she said. “I should’ve let you handle it, I just -”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You were just trying to help.”

“It’s more than most kids would do,” Blake said, patting Neptune’s arm. She shooed them into Tai’s empty classroom when he pointed at them, pulling out her phone. Texting Penny and Oscar, Yang guessed.

“People shouldn’t say those things,” Yang grumbled, sitting on a desk. “It isn’t right.”

“They’ve been saying those things for years,” Neptune said. “It’s better to not respond than to fight it.”

“Not responding makes them think it’s okay!” Sun argued.

“All they want is to get a rise out of you,” Neptune said, pointing at Sun, “and you give it to them _every time_.”

“They should know what they’re in for if they talk like that.”

The door shut and they went quiet, looking at Tai, who was leaning against the door with his hand pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Fighting on the first day,” he said, “is _not_ a good first impression.”

“Sorry,” Sun and Yang said, exchanging sheepish looks.

“I’m letting it slide this once.” Tai shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at Yang and Sun. “Fight again and it’s a referral, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Sun said.

“Got it, Dad,” Yang muttered. 

He waved them out into the empty hall, mumbling to Yang that he’d drive Ruby home after her practice. Penny and Oscar were waiting by her locker, engrossed in their phones. 

“Thanks, Yang,” Sun said. He grabbed Neptune’s hand as they walked away, pulling him into his side. “See you tomorrow!”

She waved, looking at Blake. “Can I ask why he called you a terrorist?” she asked softly.

“Can I ask what happened on Patch?” Blake returned.

Yang smiled at her, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Maybe another time,” she said. “See you tomorrow, Blake.”

As she pulled away on her bike, she felt the knot in her chest loosen. Not a good start, but not the worst one either. She knew Tai would give her a proper talking to at home, but for the moment, it was just her and her bike, riding through the city, and that was enough.

* * *

Mr. Ironwood, Penny and Oscar’s father, introduced himself to the STRQ household when Ruby and Tai got home. Upon seeing his offering of cookies, Summer invited him to dinner, ushering them all to the kitchen.

“I probably should have introduced myself when you moved in,” he said, “but I had a project that took most of the summer to finish.”

“Ruby said you’re an engineer,” Qrow said. “What kind of engineering?”

“Biomedical and mechanical.” He rubbed the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly. “I design a lot of advanced prostheses.”

He accepted the drink Raven offered him, sitting across from Qrow at the table. The kids were sitting at the kitchen counter, discussing their classes, while Raven and Summer were in the breakfast nook and Tai was cooking.

“Yang,” Penny said, watching Tai chop vegetables, “you’re friends with Blake?”

“I guess so, yeah.” Yang swiped a carrot from Tai’s pile, giving Penny a glass of water. 

“That’s good,” Penny said. She nodded with approval, watching the ice circle the glass, her hands in a diamond around the base. “Blake hasn’t had many friends since Ilia moved away.”

“She mentioned something like that,” Yang murmured.

“Blake was the one with you this afternoon?” Tai asked. “The girl?”

Yang nodded, dodging his pointing with his chopping knife.

“You already met Blake?” James asked.

“Not exactly,” Tai said. “ _Someone_ tried to get into a fight after the last bell rang.”

“ _Dad!_ ” She threw her hands up.

“It’s the first day!” Ruby cried.

“Already, Yang?” Summer asked. She elbowed Raven when she started snickering.

“They called Sun and Neptune a pair of -” She broke off, blinking and counting her breaths until her eyes relaxed from red to purple. “ _Someone_ had to step in.”

“Sun seemed to be advocating for himself pretty well,” Tai said. 

Yang rolled her eyes. “Sun was about to knock his teeth in,” she said, hands on her hips. “I was trying to de-escalate it.”

“Did you knock any teeth in, firecracker?” Qrow asked. 

“No!” She crossed her arms, glaring at Qrow.

“And who are Sun and Neptune?” Raven asked, holding her mug of coffee the way a suburban mom might hold a wine glass at a PTO brunch.

“A couple of Blake’s friends,” James said, watching Yang with veiled interest. “They’ve been dating since they were in eighth grade, I believe.”

“Sun is also a Faunus,” Penny said, “which adds another layer to people’s words about him.”

“He’s nice, though,” Oscar said. “So is Neptune, but he’s a bit more awkward.”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t defend people,” Tai said, putting a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “But you should let them fight their own battles, sometimes.”

“I _know_ , Dad,” Yang said. “It was just - instinct, I guess.”

“Neptune isn’t much of a fighter,” Oscar interjected. “And Sun already has some infractions.”

“How do you know that?” Ruby asked.

“He told me and Jaune during lunch.” He shrugged after a moment. “I doubt anyone would try to expel him, since his parents both work for the school.”

“They do?”

“Port and Oobleck,” Yang said, flopping back into her seat. “Blake told me they adopted him in elementary school.”

“That explains practice,” Ruby said. “Dr. Oobleck made Sun run suicides.”

Tai cackled at the idea. “Oh, that’s a great idea!” he said, eyeing Yang.

“Don’t you dare,” she said, shaking her head. 

He wiggled his knife at her, his grin widening. She got up, sidling behind Ruby and holding her shoulders.

“Protect me,” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t mind a running partner,” Ruby mused, grinning at Tai.

“ _Traitor,_ ” Yang hissed, scooping Zwei up and holding him in front of her, backing out of the kitchen. “Zwei will protect me.”

“Zwei, want a carrot?” Tai asked. Zwei barked, wagging his tail.

“You’re all evil!” 

“ _But if you're troubled and hurt_

_What you got under your shirt_

_Will make them pay for the things that they did.”_


	4. Thistle and Weeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby makes a new friend and catches up with some old ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Thistle and Weeds by Mumford and Sons

“ _But plant your hope with good seeds,_

_Don't cover yourself with thistle and weeds,_

_Rain down, rain down on me.”_

A routine set itself by the end of the first week of school. Yang and Ruby would ride the bike to school and park beside Blake. Ruby, Penny, and Oscar would wait for the warning bell in one of the alcoves before heading to their homeroom. She sat with them in the classes they shared and at lunch. The cafeteria was too noisy for Penny so they ate in the library. Summer had started packing extra cookies in Ruby’s lunches to share with Penny and Oscar after she and James had traded recipes and he admitted that he didn’t bake nearly as often as he would have liked. After their last block, they’d wait by Penny’s locker for Blake and Ruby would either go home with Yang or tell her she was catching a ride with Tai after track practice.

One day Tai had to run some errands so he let Ruby kill some time at a bookstore in town. She went straight to the graphic novels and picked one up, skimming the pages. She heard someone clear their throat behind her and stepped to the side, mumbling a sorry and bumping into another girl.

“Watch where you’re going!” the girl snapped. She was holding a cup of coffee far from her side, Ruby having knocked her off balance. 

“Sorry,” Ruby said. 

The girl huffed, flicking her white ponytail out of her face. “Can you at least let me by?”

Ruby pressed herself into the shelf, surprised the girl was looking at the manga shelves. Ruby shuffled back to where she’d been standing, reading her book. After a while, she looked up, seeing the other girl was watching her.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Is that the newest one?” She nodded to the book in Ruby’s hand.

“Uh, no, the first one.” She closed it, holding up the cover. “My friend recommended it. She likes the author.”

“It’s a good series,” the girl said, turning back to her own book. “The author’s first series isn’t as good but it has its merits.” She held out a hand. “Weiss Schnee.”

“Ruby Rose.” She shook her hand, pointing to the book she was holding. “What about yours?”

“Oh, this.” She turned the book over in her hand. “I watched the series and found out it was pretty faithful to the books, so I thought I’d give it a go.”

Ruby set her book aside, picking up a second copy of the book Weiss had. “One of my friends back home liked this series,” she said. “I never got around to watching it, though.”

“It’s good.” Weiss set the book back on the shelf when her phone chirped. “The ending ties up all the loose ends and it doesn’t have any plot holes. I guess the author actually planned it before writing it.”

“That’s rare,” Ruby chuckled. “Maybe I’ll give it a go.”

Weiss looked at her for a second before digging a small notepad out of her purse. She wrote her name in an elegant cursive, her number neat and tidy below it.

“Tell me what you think about it,” Weiss said, tucking the book back on the shelf. “Though I would recommend watching the show first. It goes a bit faster.”

“Oh, uh, sure thing!” She waved at Weiss as she left. “See you round!”

Weiss lifted a hand in acknowledgement, disappearing from view. Ruby turned the book over to read the blurb, taking it to the cafe, where Tai found her an hour later engrossed in the book.

* * *

 **Ruby:** HOW COULD YOU

 **Weiss:** Who is this?

 **Weiss:** Oh, you must be the girl from the bookstore. Ruby, right?

 **Ruby:** Yes hi I’m Ruby

 **Ruby:** I JUST FINISHED EPISODE FOUR THIS HURTS

 **Weiss:** Yeah, episode four is rough. Keep watching.

“Who you texting?” Yang asked, sliding to sit beside Ruby at the kitchen table.

“Oh, uh, no one,” Ruby said, setting her phone down. She pulled her laptop closer, where the show was paused on Netflix. She hadn’t started the fifth episode, too busy texting Weiss and wiping away tears. 

“Isn’t that the show Yatsu kept trying to show us?” Yang asked, tilting the screen back. “You’re actually watching it?”

“Yeah, you know,” she said with a shrug. “Figured I might as well.”

“You have fun with that.” Yang stretched, heading to the garage. “I’m heading out with Blake and Sun and Neptune. Invite’s still open if you wanna join us.”

Ruby waved her away. “Have fun with your friends, I don’t feel like being a fifth wheel.”

“It’s not a date, Ruby.” 

Yang shrugged her jacket on over her shimmery gold top and Ruby didn’t believe her for a second. She just shook her head, moved into the living room, and put her headphones on, clicking onto the next episode as Yang left. Summer and Raven were working, Tai was doing something at the school, and Qrow was next door at the Ironwoods, leaving just Ruby and Zwei at home. After a few hours, Zwei started barking at the door.

Ruby frowned, pausing her show to crack the door. She gasped and threw it open, jumping out to hug Coco.

“Easy, little red,” Coco said with a laugh, ruffling Ruby’s hair. 

“I missed you so much!” she said, squeezing Coco and burying her head in her shoulder.

“Oh, I get it, no love for me, that’s cool.” 

Ruby laughed, releasing Coco to hug Fox, giggling when he lifted her up and shook her. She ushered them into the house, putting on the coffee pot while Coco guided Fox into the breakfast nook.

“Why didn’t you guys tell us you were coming?” she asked, setting a plate of cookies on the table. “Yang and I would have thought of something to do!”

“Which is precisely why,” Coco said, poking Ruby’s nose, “we didn’t tell you. You’d have planned something and made it harder to catch up.”

“Where is Yang?” Fox asked. He had his cane leant against the table, Zwei in his lap. 

The coffee pot beeped and Ruby poured them each a cup. “She went to the movies with a few of her friends,” she said. “I think they’re going to dinner after.” She took Fox’s hand and put his mug in it. “I already put in cream and sugar.”

“Thanks,” he murmured. 

“Friends, huh?” Coco leaned forward, looking at Ruby over her sunglasses. “Just friends?”

“So she says,” Ruby said, grinning at Coco. “She and Blake are getting along pretty well pretty quickly, though.”

Coco snorted. “Of course they are.”

“It’s better than Yang wasting away feeling sorry for herself,” Fox said. “Are you making friends, though, Ruby?”

“Oh, yeah! The neighbors on our other side, actually,” she said. “Penny and Oscar are in a lot of my classes.”

“Other side?” Fox asked, tilting his head.

“Blake lives in the black house.” Ruby set her mug on the table. Sitting across from Fox, she could see Qrow walking across the lawn through the window. “Her bedroom is right across from Yang’s, actually.” He frowned at the black car parked along the road.

Coco started laughing, her head thrown back as she covered her mouth. “You may want to tell your Mama to put a lock on her window,” she said, winking at Ruby. “Make sure she doesn’t get up to any shenanigans.”

“Coco!”

“Hey, at least she doesn’t have to worry about getting pregnant,” Fox snorted. “Well, assuming she’s cis.”

“She is,” Ruby said. The door opened and she leaned back in her seat. “Hey, Uncle Qrow.”

“Well, what do we have here?” He poured himself a mug of coffee and pulled out the chair across from Coco. “I thought you two would be working on your college apps back on Patch.”

Coco waved a hand. “I’m taking a break from editing my essay,” she said, spinning her mug by the handle. “I can only reread it so many times before I want to burn it.”

“I got accepted to Vale U at the end of last year, remember?” Fox said. “Early admission.”

“That was our original excuse to visit,” Coco said. “It worked until Fox’s mom pointed out that he wouldn’t need to _see_ the campus.”

“You hoping to go to Vale, too?” Qrow asked.

“Someone has to keep him from walking into traffic.”

“I resent that,” Fox said. “I’m more likely to get bumped into by another person than to go somewhere I don’t mean to.”

“We know you’re capable, Fox,” Ruby said, putting her hand on top of his. “But we’d worry if you were alone in a new city.”

“Ah, but I have a feeling,” he said, “that you and Yang would help me move in and map out my routes to my classes if Coco didn’t get in to Vale.”

“Well, you’re not _wrong,_ ” Ruby admitted.

Qrow snorted. “You kids know you’re welcome to visit whenever,” he said. “And Tai will gladly write you a letter of recommendation, Coco.”

Ruby leaned back in her seat, checking her phone while Qrow and Coco chatted about college applications. She’d sent Weiss a collection of crying emojis after finishing the tenth episode but she hadn’t gotten a text back.

“So how are you liking high school, Ruby?” Coco asked. 

“It’s alright,” she said, setting her phone on the table. “I joined the track team, our next meet is next Wednesday.”

“Do you have a meet with Signal?” Fox tapped his fingers on the table.

“Not till October,” Ruby said. “But Beacon is going to Signal for it.”

“We’ll definitely be going to that meet, then,” Coco said. 

“I hate to say it,” Qrow said, “but Yang won’t be able to go to that meet.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, a somber air falling over the table. Qrow took the empty plate of cookies and their empty mugs, washing them and kissing Ruby’s forehead, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen.

“Have you guys heard from Velvet since she moved?” Ruby asked.

Fox shook his head while Coco nodded.

“She’s adjusting to Menagerie,” she said, voice soft and quiet.

“She’s talked to you?” Fox asked.

“Not very much.” Coco took off her sunglasses, setting them on the table. She tugged on her dyed strand of hair, curling it around her finger. “She’s focusing on recovering. The time difference doesn’t help to talk to her either.”

“She hasn’t said anything to you?” Fox looked to Ruby, something she always found uncanny since he couldn’t actually _see_ her.

“No,” she replied. “Not to Yang either.”

“Give her time,” Coco said, squeezing Ruby’s shoulder. “It wasn’t an easy thing for her to go through.”

“It wasn’t easy for Yang, either, but she still talks to us,” Fox said.

Coco shook her head. “It was different for Velvet. Different circumstances, different conditions - a different outcome if Yang hadn’t been there. She’s still coming to terms with it.” She paused for a minute. Softly, she said, “She’ll reach out when she’s ready.”

Fox huffed but Ruby said nothing, staring at the table. It was the same table she’d grown up with, always sitting in the kitchen in Patch. There were scratches from years of wear and tear, the lacquer worn away. She knew if she looked underneath it she’d find her and Yang’s initials carved by the center stem. If she looked by Fox’s left arm she’d find the notch where Yang had slammed a knife into it while carving a pumpkin one year. If she looked where Qrow was sitting she’d find specks of nail polish, gold and red and black. Tai had tried to convince them to get rid of the table multiple times over the years, but when it came time to move, it was one of the first things he loaded into the U-Haul.

“Do you think she and Yatsu will ever come back?” Ruby whispered.

“Will you and Yang?” Fox asked. Ruby snapped her head up, looking at him. “Patch was where we all grew up and met, but now it’s just me and Coco there. Maybe one day we’ll all reconvene in the same place, but I think it’s more likely we’ll settle elsewhere and see each other sparingly as we grow older.”

“I don’t want that,” Ruby said, eyes getting wet.

“No one does,” Coco agreed. “But I think it’ll get easier over time. And it’ll be even easier if Fox and I both go to Vale next year, gods willing.”

“I wonder where Velvet’s applying,” Ruby murmured. 

“Wherever she goes,” Coco said, setting her hand on Ruby’s, “I promise she hasn’t forgotten you.”

Saying goodbye to Fox and Coco was easier when Ruby knew they could visit anytime but it still made her sad. She wished that Yang had been home to see them but Coco promised that she’d include them in her plan next time to make sure Yang wouldn’t miss them. 

After Coco drove away, Ruby knocked on Qrow’s basement door, letting herself in once he gave her the okay. She sat on his couch, pulling her knees to her chest. After a few minutes he set down a mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table in front of her, sitting beside her.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked, tossing his arm around her shoulders.

“No,” she said. 

Instead, she leaned into his hug and hid her face in his shoulder. If the cocoa went cold while she cried, that was between them.

“ _Look over your hills and be still,_

_The sky above us shoots to kill,_

_Rain down, rain down on me.”_


	5. Sunflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek into Blake's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee

“ _Then you're left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya_

 _You're a sunflower, I think your love would be too much._ ”

Blake wasn’t entirely sure what to think of Yang, even after a month of knowing her. She hadn’t expected to see anyone but Sun at the party in the first place, and even then, she’d only gone as a way of avoiding Adam.

_“Busy?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean you’re busy?”_

_“I mean,” she said, not looking at him, “I always spend the last Saturday before school with Sun. We’ve been doing it since we were young and he really wants to hang out.” Not totally a lie, though in recent years it had fallen to getting lunch and watching a movie. Sun hadn’t asked her to hang out, but she’d heard the two new neighbors talking about a party at Flynt’s. If she was going to find Sun anywhere, making out with Neptune in the basement of a party was a guarantee._

_“So tell him no!” Adam said. “This rally is important, Blake.”_

_“And this is important to me,” she returned. “I’ll be at the next one, I promise.”_

_Adam looked at her, face harsh and cold, freezing her in place. “You better be.”_

Compared to Adam, Yang was easy to be around. She was full of stories every day, about Ruby, about Zwei, about her parents, about her Uncle, about herself. 

She didn’t talk about her hometown, but then again, Blake didn’t talk to her about Adam.

She sighed when her phone buzzed against her leg. She’d told Adam a hundred times not to text her during school but he still did. Mostly links to political articles, invites to Google Docs where he had speeches half-written. Sometimes a picture of a black cat or a suggestion that they get sushi that night. She didn’t answer him until lunch, and never when Yang was nearby.

“So, Belladonna,” Yang said, turning in her chair to lean over Blake’s desk. “Ruby wants to go to the movies with Penny and Oscar and I’ve been enlisted to drive them. Wanna join me?”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “And hang out with a bunch of freshmen?” she said, mouth quirking up in a grin. 

“Au contraire.” Yang wagged a finger at her. “This enlistment includes money and there’s an arcade by the theatre. You in?”

She knew the one. She, Sun, and Neptune had been frequent patrons in middle school, spending their allowances to rack up high scores. Blake tapped her pen against her face, thinking. 

Yang leaned forward and whispered, “Winner picks where we eat tomorrow night.”

Her phone buzzed against her leg again.

“Deal,” she said.

* * *

The arcade was a mix of new and old games. Yang got their tokens and gave half to Blake, who went straight to Pac-Man.

“Retro,” Yang said, knocking a hand on the machine. 

“Watch and learn, Xiao Long.” She put in a token, falling into the rhythm of the game within the second level. Sun and Neptune always played first-person shooters - Halo and Call of Duty and Siege - while Ilia was fond of the retro games. She and Blake would spend hours playing Pac-Man and Tetris and Pong, sitting in comfortable silence as their score climbed higher and the games got faster.

Yang whistled when she finally lost her last life, almost fifty levels in. The machine spat out her tickets, which she folded neatly and put in her pocket.

“Pretty good,” Yang said.

“I’ve done better.” She nodded at the high scores - BBD were the top three, thousands of points higher than her first game.

“Damn,” Yang whispered.

“Whoever has the most tickets is the winner?” Blake asked.

Yang nodded, looking at the games. “I honestly expected you to go for a shooter,” she said, heading to the back of the arcade.

“Sun and Neptune like shooters,” she said. “I like single player puzzles.”

Yang snorted. “Pac-man is a puzzle?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Pac-man is strategy,” Blake said. “Tetris is a puzzle.”

Yang laughed, halting in her tracks. “Pac-man is strategy?” she asked through her laughs. “Oh, man, that’s the best thing I’ve heard in awhile, Blake!”

“It is!” Blake insisted, a blush rising across her cheeks. “You have to plan ahead and consider where the ghosts are gonna be.”

“Sure you do.” Yang caught her breath, smiling at Blake, who crossed her arms at her, an ear flicking.

“Alright then, your turn,” she said. “What do you pick?”

Yang smirked and led her to a claw game.

“These are rigged against the player, you know,” Blake said, leaning against the wall.

“I didn’t become the Crane Queen of Patch by giving up before I started,” Yang said. “Watch and learn, Belladonna.”

To Blake’s surprise - and Yang’s delight - she got a stuffed toy with every round she played. After the fourth toy, she quit, looking at her prizes.

“Here,” she said, handing Blake a plush sushi with a wink. 

“I’ll treasure it forever,” Blake said earnestly, holding the sushi to her chest. 

“How many tickets do you think these are worth?” Yang held up the stuffed black cat she’d won, looking at Blake.

“Hmm.” Blake looked at the arcade counter, where a bored employee was playing on their phone in front of the prizes. “Well, a teddy bear is worth three hundred tickets.”

“So I’ve won twelve hundred,” Yang said. 

“But you gave me the sushi,” Blake countered with a grin, “so I think you’re at nine hundred.”

“Hey, no!” Yang said. After a moment, she paused, tapping her own face with her stuffed cat. “Well, actually, if you _need_ the handicap-”

Blake swatted her arm, both of them breaking into laughter. They bounced from game to game after that - Skee ball, Street Fighter, Zombie Hunters, racing games. When Yang’s half hour warning alarm went off, they sat next to the claw machine, counting their tickets. Yang lined up the plushies, declaring them an impartial audience.

“You won them, though,” Blake said.

“Ah, but the sushi is yours and the cat is _definitely_ on your side.” Yang had her tickets in stacks of a hundred. “Five twenty, not counting the toys.”

“Four ninety,” Blake said. “I concede.”

Yang threw her hands up with a whoop. “I win!”

The worker offered them a small bag for the plushies when they traded some of their tickets for prizes, which Yang gladly accepted. She picked out a squishy alien for Penny, a squeezy tiger for Oscar, and a couple rubber dragons for herself while Blake picked out a couple of the blocky, “pixelated” rubber ducks, one yellow and one purple.

“What about Ruby?” Blake asked.

Yang pulled out the wolf beanie baby, shaking it at Blake. “She loves wolves,” she said simply. “Little Red Riding Hood was her favorite story.”

“She does wear that cape all the time,” Blake said. 

“If she can’t wear the cape, she wears a red scarf.” Yang led them to the theatre, texting Ruby from the bench outside the doors. “It’s a staple.”

“Like her boots?” Blake sat on the back of the bench, her feet on the seat.

“Yep. She likes to say she can always put a steel toe in someone if they piss her off.”

Blake snorted, lifting a hand in front of her mouth. “I can’t imagine anyone properly pissing off Ruby,” she said. “She’s so… easygoing, and nice.”

“It takes a lot,” Yang said, “but people have managed it. Only once each, though.”

Blake thought of Adam, how easy it was to make him mad. Just by telling him she had homework, or a project, or plans with her parents or a friend, he’d get mad. Silent and angry, he’d just cut her sharp looks until he decided he wasn’t angry. It was tiring, sometimes. She had responsibilities that she had to prioritize, but if it wasn’t him, he didn’t think it mattered.

“Do you get angry easily?” Blake asked.

“Easier than Ruby does,” Yang admitted. “But I think I’ve gotten better about managing it.”

Blake looked at her, grazing her eyes over her long golden hair, the faraway look in her purple eyes. She looked sad, almost resigned.

“Blake?” She froze at the voice drifting across the sidewalk. Twenty feet away, Adam was staring at her, staring at _Yang_.

“Adam!” She hopped to her feet, standing in front of Yang while he came closer. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here with a _human?_ ” he asked, jerking his chin at Yang.

“School project.” The lie came out before she could stop it, rolling off her tongue like water over a stone.

He looked at the bag in her hand and back at her, an eyebrow raised. “A school project,” he said, “at the arcade?”

“Stats.” Yang stood up, hands shoved in her pockets. She was watching Adam and didn’t turn to look at Blake. “Seeing how many times you can win something at the crane game. Averages and rigged odds, we’re comparing it to the arcade by the pharmacy and the one near the bowling alley.” She held out a hand after a moment. “Yang Xiao Long, hi.”

“Right,” he said. He turned away from Yang, and oh, if that stare didn’t fix Blake in place like Medusa had turned her stone. “I was about to get dinner, want to join me?”

“I can’t,” she said, twisting her bag around her hand, ears folding against her head. “We still have to write up our findings and turn it into a proper report. Maybe another time?”

“Tomorrow, then,” Adam said. “I’ll pick you up around five.”

“Right,” she said. “Guess I’ll see you then.”

Blake deflated when he rounded the corner, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Yang looked at her, curious. 

“And he was…”

“Adam Taurus,” Blake said, dropping onto the bench. “My… boyfriend.”

“He’s certainly friendly,” Yang said, still standing in front of Blake. 

“He’s an activist in the White Fang,” she said. “He’s not exactly fond of humans in general.”

“I get that.” She sat down, watching the cars passing instead of at Blake. “Is that why you told him it was a project?”

Blake nodded, staring at her hands, her rings and bracelets and watch. The silver watch face on a black leather band, a braided black leather bracelet on one arm, a pair of silver bangles on the other. She spun the ring on her middle finger with her thumb, the texture of the carved curls and vines familiar on the pad of her thumb. Yang didn’t ask her anything else, just bumping her shoe against Blake’s.

“Yang!” Ruby came out of the theatre, waving a bag of popcorn, Oscar and Penny behind her, chatting with a girl with long white hair.

“Have fun?” Yang asked, catching Ruby when she jumped to hug her. “Was it good?”

“ _So_ good,” Ruby said, nodding sagely. “What’d you and Blake do?”

“We went to the arcade,” Yang said, “and played a bunch of games. Here, I won you this.”

She handed Ruby the wolf plush, chuckling when she whooped and spun on a single foot. “Weiss, check this out!”

Weiss flipped her ponytail behind her shoulder, snorting at the wolf. “Cute,” she said. She looked at Yang when she gave Oscar and Penny the toys she’d gotten them. “So this is your sister?”

“Yeah, this is Yang and our friend Blake. Yang, this is Weiss!” She waved a hand toward them. “I met her in the bookstore last month.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yang said, shaking the hand she offered. 

“Weiss’s father is a friend of our dad’s,” Oscar said. “He runs the tech company dad designs prosthetics for.”

Blake flicked an ear. “Schnee Tech?” she asked.

Weiss glanced at her cat ears for a second before nodding. “Yes, that’s the one.” She turned to Ruby, lifting a hand in farewell. “I should be heading home. Nice seeing you, Ruby.”

“See you around!” 

Blake was quiet during the drive home, waving at Oscar and Penny when they ran to their own house and saying goodbye to Ruby when she went into the garage.

“So,” Yang said, sitting on the hood of the car, “you wanna tell me what’s really wrong?”

She looked at Yang from her spot leaning against the passenger door. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you lied to your boyfriend about why we were hanging out,” she said, “and then you got quiet when Ruby’s friend said she was a Schnee. So what’s up?”

Blake hugged her arms, looking at her boots. “Schnee Tech has a history of Faunus discrimination,” she explained. “I haven’t heard much about Weiss Schnee but since her older sister was disowned some years ago, Weiss is the new heir. Whether she’ll continue the malpractices is a question a lot of Faunus have had but she’s never been interviewed, so we probably won’t know until she inherits the company.”

“I remember reading about that a few years ago,” Yang said. She slid off the car to put a hand on Blake’s shoulder. “But that’s not the only thing that’s worrying you.”

Blake sighed. “No, it isn’t. But…”

Yang held up her hands. “I won’t push,” she said. “But whenever you’re ready, I’m here for you, Blake.”

Blake smiled at her. “Thanks, Yang. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, okay?”

She went into her bedroom and sat on her bed, looking at her prizes from the arcade. The sushi plush from Yang and the rubber ducks sat in front of her, impartial and inanimate. The sushi had a smiling face, the type of sushi she knew was called _nigiri_. It was simple and soft and fit easily on the shelf above her bed. The ducks she put by her desk, sitting them on the windowsill. When she turned away, she heard a _thump_ behind her. 

Sitting on her rug was one of the rubber dragons Yang had picked, yellow and bright against the purple plush. She smiled at it, putting it on the windowsill and picking up the yellow duck. Seeing that Yang’s window was still open - with Yang nowhere in sight - she threw the duck in, managing to land it on Yang’s desk. Yang leaned into view, an eyebrow raised.

“Tit for tat,” she said. Her mom called her down for dinner and she rushed down, pretending the dragon wrapped around the duck didn’t make her feel warm when she looked at them.

“ _Or you'll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya,_

 _You're the sunflower, you're the sunflower._ ”


	6. Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look at Weiss's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Blame by Air Traffic Controller

“ _Now the road laid out before me is in flames,_

_And the bridges that I’ve crossed have collapsed,_

_And the vultures they are circling overhead,_

_They’re reminding me of choices from my past._ ”

Beacon’s first away track meet was at Alsius Academy, a private school on the outskirts of Vale. Ruby didn’t know much about it but from what Neon told her, it was the kids of upper class echelons and had a notably low Faunus population within their student body. She didn’t have many expectations beside snooty opponents and a fancy school, which it definitely delivered.

What she definitely didn’t expect was to see Weiss Schnee in the corner of the locker room they’d pointed the Beacon students to. She had her hair down and was in a t-shirt and sweatpants, a far cry from the dresses Ruby had seen her in before.

“Weiss?” she asked, dropping her track bag on a bench. “You go to Alsius?”

“You go to Beacon?” Weiss returned. 

“Yeah. Are you on the track team?”

Weiss shook her head, tying her hair back in its usual ponytail. “Fencing,” she said. She raised an eyebrow when Neon rounded the corner and threw her arms around Ruby’s shoulders.

“Are we in the wrong place?” Neon asked. “I thought the teacher told us to use this locker room.”

“You’re in the right place,” Weiss said, hoisting her bag on her shoulder. “Our guest locker rooms are being renovated. I was just packing up.”

“Ooh, so this is the girls’ locker room,” Neon said, turning around to look at the lockers. “Gotta say, I expected fancier digs for Alsius kids.”

“The fancy parts went to the library and labs,” Weiss said, eyeing Neon’s flicking tail before she wandered off.

“I should go,” she continued, shifting her bag to her hand. “It was nice to see you, Ruby.”

“You should hang out and watch the meet,” Ruby said to Weiss before she could move. “It might be fun.”

Weiss shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said, looking at where the other girls were gathering by the door. “I’ve never actually gone to a sports event that wasn’t my own.”

“Then you’re missing out,” Ruby said firmly. “Besides, I bet fencing matches don’t have proper concession stand food.”

“There aren’t concessions at fencing tournaments.”

Ruby tossed up her hands. “Then you need to come to the match to try concession food! It’s an integral part of high school sports. Besides,” she said, poking Weiss’s shoulder, “I bet your private school concession stand food is _way_ tastier than public school concessions.”

Weiss snorted. “All right,” she said. “I’ll watch your match.”

“Find Yang in the stands!” Ruby called out when she walked away. “She’s the best at finding the good food!”

* * *

Yang was easy to find in the stands. She was wearing the same brown bomber jacket over a yellow sweater, her hair down and stretching to her hips. Weiss sat beside her, tucking her bag under her seat.

“Your sister suggested I sit with you and watch her meet,” she said. “She seems to think concession stand food is an important part of the high school experience.”

“She’s not wrong,” Yang said, holding out her basket of fries. Weiss took one, humming at the food. “The ones here are better than the ones at Beacon, I’ll admit.”

“It’s better than fast food,” Weiss said. She shifted when two people - a man and a woman - sat in the row in front of Yang, passing her a plate of nachos.

“Taiyang is chatting with the Alsius teachers,” a second woman said, sitting beside Yang. She raised an eyebrow at Weiss. “Friend of yours?”

“This is Ruby’s friend Weiss,” Yang said, offering the nachos the same way she did with the fries. “Weiss, this is my Mama, Raven, and my Uncle Qrow and my Mom, Summer.”

“Ruby’s friend from the movies?” Summer asked. She was leaning against Raven’s legs and Weiss couldn’t stop herself from doing a double take. She looked exactly like Ruby, though her hair was tied half-back in a bun that looked like a rose.

“Yes, hello,” Weiss said. She took a nacho, wrinkling her nose at the artificial taste. Qrow chuckled at her expression, offering her a bottle of water. 

“Doesn’t compare to real cheese,” he said, watching her twist open the top and drain half the bottle, “but it’s good enough for concession stand food. Ruby loves concession nachos.”

“I should be surprised,” Weiss mumbled, “but she does put an abhorrent amount of cream and sugar in her coffee, so maybe she just doesn’t have taste buds.”

“Oh, she does,” Yang said. She passed Qrow the fries, standing up and stretching. “C’mon, Weiss, let’s see if we can find something palatable at the concession stand.”

“You can leave your bag here,” Summer said. “We’ll watch it for you.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, following Yang. Once the adults were out of earshot, she said, “May I ask?”

“Mama is my biological mother,” Yang said, “and Mom is Ruby’s, but they both raised us with our dad.”

“Taiyang, right?” Weiss caught Yang’s eye. “Your Mama, she said he was talking to some of the Alsius teachers.”

Yang nodded, stopping to wait in line with Weiss. “Taiyang Xiao Long, he’s a teacher at Beacon. He always volunteers to chaperone away meets since Ruby’s on the team.”

“You have three parents. That’s… different.” Yang looked at her and she felt her stomach drop. “I didn’t mean -”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yang said with a wave of her hand. “It’s the usual response. It’s odd but it’s healthy.”

Weiss watched the crowd, small as it was. She could see some of her teachers chatting with adults who she could only assume were Beacon teachers, one of them a tan man with blond hair. He looked similar enough to Yang that she assumed he was her father, taking it as confirmation when he let Ruby hug him and ruffled her hair before sending her off to her teammates. 

“So how did Ruby find you?” Yang asked. “It seemed like you two ran into each other by chance before.”

“Chance again,” Weiss said. She looked at the menu board as she dug her wallet out of her pocket. “I was packing up after practice and she found me in the locker room. Somehow, she talked me into watching her meet.”

“She’s got a way of convincing people,” Yang said with a chuckle. “Usually with relentless pushing.”

“Sounds about right,” Weiss said. To the cashier, she said, “Two cheeseburgers and two waters, please.” She passed Yang a burger and a water once they came out, knowing she was watching her when she tried a bite. 

“Add ketchup and mustard, at least,” Yang said, taking her own burger and putting fixings on it. “It adds to it.”

Weiss obliged, nodding at the flavor. “Okay, this is good,” she said. “Definitely worth it.”

“All that’s left now is to watch Ruby,” Yang said. “Come on, Uncle Qrow gives a pretty good play-by-play.”

It was almost twilight when Weiss got home. No one was in the kitchen and she didn’t expect to find anyone in the dining room - her parents and Whitley would have eaten dinner while she was at the track meet and the staff had already gone home for the night. She went to her room, thankful she’d eaten at the track meet. Her phone plugged in and her sports bag on the dresser, she opened up her binder to start on her homework. 

“Weiss?” Whitley poked his head into her room. “Father wants to see you.”

She blinked. “Okay,” she said, closing her binder. She paused outside her father’s office, taking a breath before knocking.

“Come in.”

Jacques was sitting at his desk, a tumbler of brandy beside his computer. He didn’t say anything as Weiss sat in front of him.

“Good evening, Father,” Weiss said. “How was your day?”

“Where have you been?” he asked her, ignoring her question. “You were supposed to be home hours ago.”

“I was at school,” she said. “I had practice.”

“Your fencing practice would have ended at three,” he said sharply. “It’s eight o’clock. Where have you been?”

“At the school, like I said.” She crossed her arms. “I was watching the track meet. A friend asked me to.”

Jacques stared at her, a frown clear through his mustache, and she leaned back, her arms loosening. 

“I wasn’t aware you had a -” He paused, swirling his tumbler in his hand. “ - _friend_ , on the track team. What’s their name?”

“Ruby Rose, she’s a freshman.” After a moment, she added, “She’s a student at Beacon.”

Jacques leaned back in his seat, turning his attention to his computer. “And how did you meet a student from _Beacon_?” he asked. He clicked his mouse a few times, not looking at Weiss.

“I met her in the bookstore last month.” Weiss shifted in her seat, crossing her ankles. “We talked about books.”

“Yes, I know.”

“What?”

Jacques tapped the papers in front of him, pushing one in front of Weiss. She felt her spine run cold, seeing her text stream with Ruby laid out in front of her. Their talk of shows and movies and music and school laid out before her, pages upon pages of conversation.

“You’ve texted this girl more in this last month than anyone else since your sister,” Jacques said, pausing once more to look at Weiss over his tumbler, “ _left_. I’m worried you’re becoming distracted from your studies, Weiss.”

“My grades are still perfect,” she said, tightening her grip on her arms, “and Ruby is just a friend. I’m not distracted.”

“The topic of your texts beg to differ,” he said. “None of your texts concern school. They’re all irrelevant, inconsequential things.”

“We’re not super close or anything,” Weiss said with a tug on her ponytail. “We just chat every now and again, that’s all.”

Jacques shook his head. “You shouldn’t worry yourself with such people, sweetheart. They’re beneath you.”

Weiss pressed her lips together, looking down at her desk. “She’s just a friend, Father.”

Jacques slammed his tumbler down on the desk. “She’s a distraction! You are to cease contact with her at once!”

Weiss blinked. “But-”

“No buts!” He leaned forward on his desk, lacing his fingers together in front of his face. “I only want what’s best for you, dear.”

Back in her room, Weiss curled up in her bed. Wrapped in her blankets, she started reading through her messages with Ruby. There wasn’t anything sensitive, nothing private, but she didn’t like that her father had gone through her messages.

“Weiss, dear?” She looked up, surprised to see her mother in her doorway. “You came home late.”

“I was just at school,” she said, stowing her phone. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Willow tilted her head, the bottle in her hand shaking. It was half-empty and Weiss knew it was one she’d opened maybe a day before.

“Your father is unhappy,” Willow said. She sat at the foot of Weiss’s bed. “Though that’s nothing new.”

“He’s been unhappy since Winter left,” Weiss said, pulling a throw blanket around her shoulders. 

“Oh, he’s been unhappy for longer than that.” Winter took a swig from her bottle and Weiss winced. Her mother drank it like it was water but the sharp smell alone made Weiss nauseous. “Good night, dear.”

Her lights shut off and her blankets wrapped around her, Weiss let herself think and her mind drifted to Ruby. She’d been so _happy_ to see Weiss in the locker room, to see her sitting with Yang in the stands. And her family had been nice to her, too - Yang asking her about her classes, Qrow joking around about the races, Summer and Taiyang offering to walk with her to her car, Raven whistling in admiration of it and checking under the hood for her when it sputtered in the parking lot. And Ruby, despite her family congratulating and praising her, had bounced around Weiss and talked to her like she was the only one there, asking about her fencing.

_“You came to my meet so it’s only fair if I go to one of yours,” Ruby said, bouncing around Weiss like she hadn’t spent the past few hours running. She pulled out her phone, opening up her calendar. “When’s your next one? No arguments, Weiss! You can’t stop me!”_

_She chuckled and took Ruby’s phone, punching in the location and time of her next match. “The matches are pretty boring to watch,” she said._

_“So are track meets,” Ruby said. “Yang only comes because she and Qrow like to make the turning left joke, but it’s about the moral support.”_

_Weiss snorted, trying not to think about how her parents never went to her matches, how they sent Klein to pick her up if she hadn’t driven herself, how Whitley never went to her matches and she never went to his recitals._

_Winter had shown up. But Winter was gone now._

_“If you want,” she said with a shrug, like she didn’t care._

_“I do want to,” Ruby said, silver eyes earnest and wide. “Plus, we can get food after. I’ll probably have finished the show by then and we can talk about it.”_

_“Sounds good to me.”_

On her bed she pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in the blanket as she cried.

* * *

Fencing matches were few and far between. Not many schools offered it and Weiss was one of two students on the team at Alsius. She’d gotten used to riding in her coach’s SUV to the matches. Dove would sit in the passenger seat while she sat in the back, both of them with their headphones in as they watched the scenery and their coach listened to NPR.

She couldn’t help but think of Ruby when she went to her Beacon match, but she didn’t expect to see her at all. She’d ignored Ruby’s texts, throwing herself into her schoolwork and sword practice. She hoped Ruby had forgotten about the match by the time it rolled around. 

She knew her only opponent at Beacon would be Pyrrha Nikos. They’d been regular opponents for years, and Pyrrha usually won their fights, but she was always kind about it and would spar with her during the summer.

To her surprise - and mild discomfort - Ruby was sitting in the front row with Pyrrha’s boyfriend Jaune. She caught Weiss’s eye and brightened immediately, waving at her. 

Weiss nodded at her, pretending to be focused on her match. She went through the motions, saluting to the referee and Pyrrha before donning her mask.

“En garde!”

Lunge, dodge, parry. Sidestep, lunge, dodge. Out of bounds. Score one for Pyrrha.

Feint, thrust, parry, dodge, thrust, lunge, parry, touch. Score one for Weiss.

She could hear Ruby gasping from the sidelines, Jaune murmuring the rules and techniques to her. She tried not to let it distract her after Pyrrha got another point.

She fell into the rhythm after the third round, remembering why she loved fencing. It took away all her thoughts, all her senses. Nothing was there except her and Pyrrha and their épées, moving together in a well-choreographed dance.

The match ended with Pyrrha winning, something that didn’t surprise Weiss. They were close enough in points that Weiss considered it a successful bout, even if she didn’t win.

“Well done,” Pyrrha said, shaking her hand. “You’ve improved since our last match.”

“High praise coming from you,” Weiss said. “Maybe I’ll even be able to beat you one day.”

Pyrrha laughed, not unkindly. “I look forward to the day!”

Jaune and Ruby ran toward them when they exited the locker rooms, waving their arms at them. Jaune grabbed Pyrrha’s attention immediately and Weiss tried not to feel anxious when Ruby got close to her.

“Weiss, that was so cool!” Ruby said. She was bouncing on her toes again, hands in front of her. “You and Pyrrha moved so _fast_ , you were like a blur! Are all your matches like that?”

Weiss blinked. “You… enjoyed it?”

“Well, yeah.” Ruby scuffed her boots against the floor. “Besides, swords are cool! Pyrrha told me a bit about how fencing works but I didn’t really get it till I got to watch.”

“It’s a bit hard to understand,” Weiss admitted, “but I think tennis is weirder, honestly.”

“Tennis makes no sense,” Ruby declared. She followed Weiss to the locker room, chatting while she packed her things. “Why not just use numbers for scoring? What is a love? I think I’ll stick to track, it can’t get much simpler than racing.”

Weiss laughed, feeling the stress and tension melt out of her shoulders. Ruby was easy to talk to, easier than her classmates or teachers by far.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby’s voice was soft. “How come you haven’t texted me back at all? Have you been busy with school?”

“Yeah, I -” She stopped, her sports bag halfway zipped. “I’m sorry, Ruby, I can’t -”

She shuddered, hugging her arms. She could feel her throat warming up, her breaths getting quicker, her eyes getting wetter.

“Weiss? What’s wrong?” Ruby put a hand on her shoulder and Weiss broke, sitting on the bench and burying her face in her hands. “Woah, hey, Weiss! Why are you crying? Did I do something?”

Weiss shook her head, sniffling and putting her hands in her lap. “My father, he…” She looked at the floor, counting the tiles. “He doesn’t think I should bother having friends. He thinks it’s _beneath_ us.” She let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. She wiped her eyes, jumping when Ruby put her red cape around Weiss’s shoulders.

“I don’t know your dad,” she said, “but no one is above having friends. I think you deserve to have good friends and I think your dad shouldn’t try to stop that.” She sat beside Weiss, looking at her boots. 

“I wish I could tell _him_ that,” Weiss murmured. “But I don’t want to think about how he’d react.”

Ruby frowned, glancing at Weiss through the corner of her eye. Tears were flowing freely down Weiss’s face and the red cape was a stark contrast to her white hair and shirt, the blue of her eyes. It was warm against the harsh, cold colors Weiss tended toward.

“You can always talk to me,” Ruby said, looking away again. “And there’s always space at my house if you need it.”

“I don’t know where you live, Ruby.”

“You know where Penny lives?”

Weiss nodded. Winter used to babysit Penny and Oscar with her and Whitley and they’d spent a fair amount of time at the Ironwoods, running around and playing the way her father wouldn’t approve of.

“I’m right next door to her,” Ruby said, standing and stretching. “Just look for the yellow bike.”

“Yellow bike?” Weiss asked, sniffing. 

“Yang’s motorcycle,” Ruby explained. She opened a locker and dug around, pulling out a pack of tissues. “We ride it to school every day. Technically, it’s yellow and orange, but it’s mostly yellow.”

“Does it have a name?” Weiss asked, dabbing at her eyes. 

“Not yet,” Ruby said. “She’s been brainstorming with Blake, though.”

“Blake,” Weiss murmured. She hugged the cape around her. “The Faunus girl?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure that’s how you should refer to her.” Ruby ignored her phone when it buzzed, instead sitting to look at Weiss. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Weiss tried not to look at Ruby, scared of the pity she’d see in her eyes. “There aren’t many Faunus at Alsius.”

“There aren’t many Faunus in general, compared to Menagerie. Doesn’t mean we should be rude about them.” Ruby shrugged. “But it’s a learning curve. One of my friends growing up was a Faunus so I learned a lot of it pretty young.”

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows, finally looking at Ruby. “I can’t figure you out,” she said. “You could have been mad that I ignored you but you’re not. You could have been mad that I was rude but you’re not. Does _anything_ make you mad?”

“I mean, yeah,” Ruby said, “but it’ll take a lot more than a couple missteps to make me mad. You weren’t trying to be rude and you had a reason not to talk to me. I’m more worried about you being scared of your dad than I am mad you didn’t answer my texts.”

“How are you so…” She trailed off, unable to think of the word she wanted.

“My family raised me and Yang to be compassionate,” Ruby said, filling in the gap for her. “And I’ve watched them let themselves get absorbed by guilt so I try to compensate for that. It doesn’t take away my doubts, it doesn’t necessarily fix the problems, but if it makes them feel better for the moment, then I think it’s worth it.”

“But what about in the long-term?” Weiss asked. 

“I think that’s a therapist’s job,” Ruby said flatly. “Mama has spent years telling Yang she’s not other people’s keeper and it took a big mistake for it to sink in. I got to learn from her mistakes.”

“I guess you’re lucky, then.” Weiss looked at her bag, at the snowflake keychain on the zipper tab, the sword case leaning against the lockers. “My sister made her own decision a while ago and my father turned it into a mistake. All I learned from it was to not make him angry.”

“That doesn’t seem healthy, Weiss,” Ruby said, worry thick in her tone and clear in her eyes. 

Weiss met her gaze, blue eyes cold as the ocean’s depths. “I don’t recall saying it was.”

Ruby frowned and they sat in silence for a time, until she leaned forward and hugged her.

“I’m here for you, Weiss,” she murmured. “Whether you want my help or not.”

Weiss relaxed into the hug, leaning her forehead against Ruby’s shoulder and gripping her shirt. She knew her coach was waiting for her, but they could wait a bit longer. For the time moment, all that mattered was Ruby and the warmth she offered. Warmth that Weiss desperately, _desperately_ craved.

_“Don’t blame yourself,_

_‘Cause you tried as hard as hell,_

_With the hand that you were dealt.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weiss was hard to pick a song for. Originally, this was done to "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid but this specific verse fit better, even if it's not perfect. Maybe Woodkid will come back later.


	7. Nevermind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake considers the White Fang and her relationships with Yang and Adam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Nevermind by Leonard Cohen

_“I live the life I left behind,_

_There's truth that lives and truth that dies.”_

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you with this one,” she told them after one meeting. 

“This is a major political rally, Sister Blake,” Fennec said.

“We would greatly value your input,” Corsac added.

“You have my notes and I’ve highlighted the important parts of these articles,” she said, pushing a stack of papers at them. “I’m sure you can manage without me just this once.”

“But it hasn’t been just once,” Adam said. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. “You bailed on the last three rallies, Blake. I’m worried you’re losing focus.”

She gave him a look, a hand on her hip. “I have to focus on school, Adam,” she said. “This is the year colleges look at.”

Adam scoffed. “You’re still determined to do that?” He laughed. “There’s no point in going to college. Everything that matters is happening here.”

“Maybe it’s not important to you,” she said, ignoring Fennec and Corsac trading uncomfortable looks, “but I don’t want to consign myself to Vale forever.”

“Oh?” Adam pushed off the wall, towering over Blake. “Then what do you plan on doing with a degree?”

“I’m going to be a political journalist,” she said. “I’m going to travel and report on the conditions and treatment of Faunus around the world.”

“A noble cause,” Fennec murmured.

“And you’ll abandon your brothers and sisters in Vale for your own goal?” Adam growled. 

“I’m not abandoning anyone!”

“Worrying about Faunus in other places won’t help the ones here, Blake!” He slammed his hand on the table and Blake wondered when he’d backed her into it.

She frowned but didn’t say anything as she flattened her ears and lowered her gaze. She’d grown up in the White Fang since her father had founded it. She’d watched power be handed down to Sienna, watched Sienna go on her path to spread the White Fang’s message further, watched her give control of the Vale chapter to Adam. Adam had pulled her from a bystander to an active member, asking her to help write speeches and consolidate information.

But she’d heard what he was doing behind her back, targeting discriminatory businesses for vandalism and break-ins, dragging down the people promoting those practices and smearing their names with mud. 

Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it made her classmates call her a terrorist.

Either way, she wasn’t sure about the ethics of the methods Adam was promoting.

She got home to an empty house and a note from her mother stuck to the table with a few bills.

_Blake -_

_Your father and I had to go to a meeting in Mistral. We’ll be back in two days. Mrs. Rose and Mr. Ironwood will check in on you. No throwing parties and don’t let anyone in the house besides Yang, Ruby, Penny, Oscar, or Sun and Neptune._

_Love you,_

_Mom & Dad _

She picked up the money on the table and tucked it into her wallet before going to her room. Yang’s window was closed but she’d stuck a sheet of paper to it with a smiley face. She snorted at it, sitting down to start her homework when her phone buzzed.

 **Adam:** I need your opinion on this speech ASAP

She ignored it, sinking into her essay. Her phone buzzed once more, twice, thrice, four more times until she picked it up and tossed it on her bed. Even still, it kept buzzing. She managed to finish the first paragraph before she grabbed the buzzing phone.

Seven messages from Adam and two from Yang. She swiped on Yang’s message.

 **Yang:** Yo Blake you like pepperoni pizza right? Or are you the sort of weirdo my dad is where you want anchovies and pineapple?

 **Yang:** Oh wait you’re still at your meeting thing aren’t you nevermind I’ll just go with pepperoni

Blake snorted, typing out her response.

 **Blake:** I just got home, pepperoni is fine. Your dad really eats anchovies and pineapple?

 **Yang:** He says it’s the ideal blend of salty/sweet/savory but I think he’s full of shit. I thought your meeting went for a few more hours?

 **Blake** : I ducked out early. I have to write an essay for Peach, one for Oobleck, and then there’s Port’s anatomy homework and the Stats problems. Figured I’d finish my homework instead of writing speeches for Adam.

 **Yang:** Bring your Stats over with you, Mama and I are gonna be home with the pizza in a few minutes. Ruby is home with Mom and Dad.

Blake gathered up her papers and texted while she walked next door, letting herself into the kitchen through the garage.

“Hey, Blake!” Ruby said, sitting at the kitchen table with her own homework laid out around her. “I guess Yang texted you?

“Yeah, she’s gonna help me with my Stats homework,” Blake replied.

“Maybe you can help me with this, then,” Ruby said, tapping her own paper. “I’m no good at geometry.”

“Oh, please, give me the shapes.” Blake grabbed for it, leaning over the paper. “Shapes are so much easier.”

Ruby chuckled, making room for Blake in the nook. She listened to Blake’s explanations, her loopy numbers distinct from Blake’s sharp, straight-edged handwriting. 

“We’re home!” Yang called when she kicked open the door, coming into the kitchen with pizza boxes piled high. “Blake! You’re here!”

“Shush, Yang, she’s helping me with geometry!” Ruby flapped a hand at Yang, looking at Blake’s work on her paper. 

“Where’s Qrow?” Raven asked, setting plates full of pizza in front of the three of them. 

“I’m right here,” Qrow said, coming up from the basement. Mr. Ironwood followed behind, blinking in surprise when he saw them in the kitchen. “Tai was helping Oscar with his history homework and Penny and Summer went to walk Zwei.”

“And you two were in the basement?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. Qrow shoved her shoulder, taking a box of pizza and heading to the office Tai shared with Summer, Raven on his heels. James followed behind, ruffling Oscar’s hair as he passed and nodding to Summer and Penny when they came in with Zwei.

“So the homecoming dance is in a few weeks,” Yang said, moving Blake’s homework clear of her pizza. “Are you guys going?”

Oscar shrugged and looked at Penny. “I haven’t decided yet,” Penny said.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet, either,” Ruby said. “What about you, Blake?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” she admitted, giving Ruby her finished geometry homework. “I don’t think my boyfriend would want to go.”

“You can always come with me,” Yang said with a wink. “School dances are usually fun.”

Blake flicked at ear. “Pop songs and sweaty teens in a gym is fun?”

Yang wagged a finger at her. “You’re thinking about it all wrong, Belladonna,” she said. “Think fun dresses, free food, and making fun of people getting borderline sexual while their teachers look on in horror.”

“Intriguing.” Blake chuckled, propping her chin in her hand. “I may need more convincing, though.”

“Imagine Sun and Neptune waltzing, which they already told me they’re going to do,” Yang said, holding her pizza in the air. “Imagine Jaune and Pyrrha dressed to the nines and slow dancing like they’re the only ones in the room. Imagine Nora and Ren dancing with each other and then denying that they have feelings for each other and Nora eating half the buffet.”

Blake laughed, but Yang kept going.

“Now imagine me, standing to the side and poking fun at everyone. _That_ is why you should come to the dance, Miss Belladonna.”

“That is tempting,” Blake said. “I’ll consider it, though I may need a day or two to make up my mind.”

“If you come, I’ll save you a dance.” Yang winked and Blake blushed, oblivious to Ruby rolling her eyes at Penny and Oscar.

While Oscar, Penny, and Ruby went into the living room to play with the gaming console, Blake followed Yang to her room after they cleared the table. She sat at Yang’s desk, looking at the pictures pressed under the glass. Most of the faces she recognized, but there were a few she didn’t - a brown-skinned boy with white eyes and red hair, a pale girl with sunglasses and brown hair with caramel highlights, another boy with tan skin that towered over the rest of them, and a girl with long dark hair and tall rabbit ears.

“Can I ask your opinion?” Blake asked Yang, turning her phone over in her hands.

“Course you can.” Yang jumped onto her bed, sitting criss-cross and looking at Blake. “What’s up?”

“You remember Adam? My…”

“Yeah, the one we met outside the theatre? What about him?”

Blake nodded. “He’s… I’m not sure I want to stay with him,” she murmured. “He’s different from how he used to be and he’s changing the White Fang to be more... “ She clenched her hand in a fist, looking at Yang’s pictures. Her eyes kept drifting back to the rabbit Faunus, her laughing face as she held a camera of her own, pointed at the other girl. 

“Have you talked to him about it?” Yang asked.

Blake shook her head. “I don’t know how he’d respond. Earlier, when I was at the meeting, I said I couldn’t write a speech because I had homework and he got _mad_ about it, started telling me that I shouldn’t bother with college, shouldn’t care about school, shouldn’t care about anything except the White Fang here in Vale.”

“Blake.” She looked at Yang, worry etched across her features plainly. “You sound _scared_.”

“I am,” she breathed. “He’s more violent and aggressive and he’s making the White Fang here reflect that, and he feels justified because it’s _working_. And it terrifies me, Yang, this isn’t what the White Fang was supposed to be.”

“Your dad founded the White Fang, right?” Yang shifted to the end of her bed. “Why doesn’t he take back control?”

“It’s not that simple.” Blake turned to face Yang, crossing her legs and leaning against the desk. “He gave control to Sienna Khan - you’ve probably seen her on the news, the tiger Faunus - and Sienna gave Adam control of the Vale chapter because his methods _work_ , better than Dad’s did.”

“But your dad paved the way for Adam and Sienna. Won’t they listen to him?”

Blake shook her head. “Since he stepped down and went into politics with humans his opinion on things isn’t taken very seriously by fringe members. They view him as human-loving and cavorting with the enemy.”

“And Adam fits into that category?”

Blake pointed at her. “Bingo.”

They were quiet for a time, Yang watching Blake, Blake looking at Yang’s photographs, at the Faunus helping Ruby bake in a kitchen. They could hear Ruby downstairs, laughing with Penny and Oscar. 

Yang’s voice was quiet but firm. “If you’re not happy, you shouldn’t stay with him.”

“I _know_ that,” she whispered. “But I - I feel like - I owe him, Yang.”

“You don’t owe _anyone,_ ” Yang growled, ” _anything_ at the cost of your own happiness, Blake.” Blake jolted back but Yang continued, “Look, I’m not an expert or anything, but if I’ve learned _anything_ from watching my parents, it’s that you have to communicate with your partner, and if you’re too scared to do that, then maybe it’s not a relationship you should be in.”

“But I don’t know how to end it!”

Yang fell back on her bed and Blake realized she’d stood up suddenly, knocking the chair into the desk behind her, her hands in fists at her sides. She held them up before pulling them close with a stammered, “Sorry - I’m - I have to -”

“Blake.” Yang spoke softly, more softly than Blake had heard her speak to even Ruby after Ruby had come to her crying in the library about something a classmate had said and Blake didn’t look at her, fearing the idea of pity plain in purple depths.

“I need to go.”

“But-”

“Bye, Yang.”

Blake ran out, mumbling a farewell to Summer when she passed her. Once she was safe in her own room, she collapsed on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest and hiding her face as she cried. Adam’s texts, still unread, made her phone screen light up beside her. She didn’t want to open them, didn’t plan to open anything until her text tone for Yang went off.

 **Yang:** I’m sorry if I crossed a boundary but I’m worried about you, as your friend. You being happy is more important to me than Adam making you uncomfortable.

If Blake was anything, it was a writer - she couldn’t verbalize off the cuff as well as she could articulate with text. It was a simple fact to her, one that led her to write most of the speeches Adam delivered, even edit her father’s speeches on occasion. 

**Blake:** I know, I’m sorry I ran out. I just got overwhelmed.

 **Yang:** It’s scary, I know, but if you want to leave him, then I think that’s a clear sign you should, Blake. 

Another message popped up as Blake was debating her reply.

 **Yang:** And if he tries anything I can always run him over with my bike ;)

Blake laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes. Where Adam was layered and she had to tiptoe around him to avoid setting off any landmines, Yang was honest and open and simple, her emotions easy to read and reactions predictable. 

Phone in hand, she got up and made sure the house was locked and the lights off before she drew her curtains shut and set her phone on its stand. Steeling herself, she tapped on Adam’s contact and hit video call.

“Blake! Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!” The video was just a shot of his desk at headquarters, but she could hear rustling as he did something out of frame.

She narrowed her eyes, feeling annoyance flicker up her spine. She’d spent most the day with him but he couldn’t handle her being out of contact for a few hours?

“I was at dinner,” she said, “and doing homework. We need to talk, Adam.”

“I need your opinion on the speech Corsac draft-”

“No!” 

Adam finally came into view and she could see the irritation on his face as plain as she could see the yellow dragon on her windowsill. 

“Adam,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I’m only calling you right now to tell you I’m not coming back to the White Fang.”

“What?”

She refused to wilt, picking up the yellow dragon and holding it out of his view. She ran her thumb along its ridges as she spoke, looking at the edge of her phone case rather than Adam himself.

“I’m not coming back,” she repeated. “I don’t agree with how you’ve changed the White Fang and I’m not comfortable with it anymore. I’m leaving.”

“Not _comfortable?”_ he shouted. “We’re changed things! We’re making things better for the Faunus!”

“At what cost?!” She gripped the dragon tighter. “More people hate us than support us and I can’t live like that and you brush me off every time I try to propose a change. I’m done.”

“I thought you wanted the same thing I do, has that changed?”

“Apparently we don’t,” she said. “Not anymore, at least.”

“So you don’t care about the Faunus anymore, is that it? You’re comfortable being a human’s willing lap dog? A tame little house cat?”

She gritted her teeth. He _knew_ she hated being called a house cat, hated the comments about catnaps and sunbathing and how she must like fish if she was cat Faunus. “You’re going about it the wrong way and people are getting hurt, Adam, and I can’t condone it.”

“I’m _fighting_ for us, and when you fight, people get hurt!” 

“But it’s hurting our image as a whole! What if we’re doing more harm than good?” 

“That’s a risk we have to take.” He paused, glaring at her before growling, “Is this even really you talking, Blake? Or is it that _human_ you were hanging out with?”

She frowned at him, ears flat against her head. “Yang doesn’t speak for me. This is _my_ decision to make and I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

“But you didn’t think to talk to me about it? I thought you cared about me.”

“This had to be my choice, Adam, and I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving the White Fang.” She squeezed the 

Adam was quiet for a moment. “What about us?” His voice had gone softer, gentler, and Blake felt her resolve waver. “Have you lost your faith in me, in our cause? Like your parents?”

Blake bit her lip, looking at the dragon in her hand. “I still want equality,” she said, “but I don’t want to hurt people. Until there are drastic changes, I’m done, Adam.” She bit back a sob. “And that includes us. Goodbye.”

Before he could argue, she hung up the call and went into her settings, putting him under her blocked numbers. She set the dragon back on the windowsill and went to her bed, looking at the sushi Yang had given her. Curling up under her blankets, she hugged the sushi close and wept until she went to sleep, her dreams full of sunflowers and lilacs.

_“I could not kill_

_The way you kill_

_I could not hate_

_I tried, I failed.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the song doesn't fit _perfectly_ but it works well enough. Yeah, so I hinted a bit in earlier chapters that Blake is growing disenchanted with her relationship with Adam and Yang coming in makes her think about it more because, like it's said in the chapter, Adam is hard to navigate while Yang is easier. She also has an easy chemistry with Yang - their back and forth is one of the easiest things to write, it flows out so quickly.  
> Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!


	8. Wake Me Up When September Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang question what makes up a person's identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

_“Drenched in my pain again_

_Becoming who we are.”_

There were a few things Yang decidedly, without a doubt, did not like. Ruby being upset was chief among them with her parents and Uncle being stressed, then the smell of vodka, the taste of ginger, the glares her classmates at both Signal and Beacon would give her for being friends with Faunus kids. Quickly climbing to the top of her list, though, was the defeated look Blake wore every time she looked at her phone, her ears folded against her head and her golden eyes were dull. 

The first thing Blake had done on Monday morning when they reached their homeroom was apologize for walking out and admit that she’d broken things off with Adam. Her phone, which used to sit in her bag, now lived on the corner of her desk. Where it used to buzz constantly, it was silent.

“So he’s leaving you alone?” Yang asked, leaning over Blake’s desk in their math class. She sat in the row in front of her but always turned around in her chair to work with Blake.

“No,” Blake said, tapping her pencil on her paper, “I blocked his number.”

Pyrrha, working with Nora beside Yang, raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask. Nora, however, leaned back to look at Blake. 

“Whose number did you block?” she asked, arms locked behind her head.

“Nora,” Pyrrha scolded, pulling her tilted chair to the ground. “If Blake wants us to know, she’ll tell us. Asking is rude.”

Nora huffed, pulling her chair in and turning back to her work. Pyrrha murmured an apology, turning back to her own desk. Yang shifted her chair to sit beside Blake, whispering as they worked.

“You’re not happy,” Yang said when they reached their table in the library.

“I-” Blake sat down. She looked from her phone to her lunch to the bag of chips Yang had put between them. “I defined myself by Adam and the White Fang for almost three years and now I…” She trailed off, ears pressed flat enough against her head that they were almost burrowed under her hair.

“I’m not sure what I am without the White Fang,” she admitted softly. 

“Consider this,” Yang said. “You still have the same morals that make you want to fight for equality. You just need to find a different medium than the White Fang.”

“How?” Blake flicked an ear and leaned on the table. “How does that help me find myself?”

“I think we’re too young to find ourselves,” Yang said, taking a few chips and shoving the bag at Blake’s arms. “We can know our traits and our morals and beliefs and such, but I don’t think it’s a permanent state of being, especially not one we’re going to find in high school.”

Blake tilted her head. “So how do you define yourself?” she asked. “How do you know who you are?”

“Usually by my relationships with others,” Yang admitted. “I’m Ruby’s older sister, I’m the oldest daughter, I’m your friend. But there’s other things too, like goals and beliefs and morals and motives. I’m a mechanic, or learning how to be one, at least. I’m protective of my friends and family, to a fault Dad would say.”

“Your dad _does_ say.” Yang jumped, turning to see Tai standing behind her. He smirked and ruffled her hair. “What’s got you girls turning into philosophers?”

“Mr. Xiao Long,” Blake said, “how do you define yourself?”

Tai blinked, looking at Blake. “Like Yang said.” he replied, turning back to his class for a moment. His gaze rested on Ruby and Penny, their heads close together between the two computers, one screen with a half-filled page, the other with a video. “Relationships and goals, beliefs and motives. I know through my family that I’m a father, a husband, and a brother. I know through my professions that I’m a teacher, and through my goals that I want to share knowledge and help kids grow to be the best versions of themselves, which is motivated by the desire to see them turn the world into a better place than we left it for them.” 

He sat beside Yang and swiped a chip from her bag, pointing it at Blake. “I won’t assume to know what prompted this but I can tell you this much,” he said, looking at Yang. “Finding yourself _is_ a lifelong process, and who you are will change with your experiences in life. Some things will set you back and others will move you forward. How you respond to those things will also help you define yourself.”

“Since when were you a psych teacher?” Yang asked, a soft smile on her face. 

Tai ruffled her hair. “Since your mom minored in Psych and would have me proofread her essays and notes,” he said, pulling her into a one-armed hug. He looked back at Blake, the same soft smile Yang wore mirrored on his own face. “Don’t rush to figure yourself out, Blake. You’re still young, you have plenty of time.”

“But what if I get it wrong?”

“Making mistakes is part of being young,” he said gently. “So long as you keep learning and growing, you can’t get it wrong.” 

He stood up and ruffled Yang’s hair again, chuckling when she swatted him away. “By the way, Blake, you’re invited for dinner tonight,” he said as he walked away. “James is coming with Penny and Oscar, too, it’s chili night.”

“Your family,” Blake said, slumping on the table, “they’re all so friendly.”

“Ruby gets it from Mom and Dad,” Yang said. “They taught it to the rest of us. Branwens don’t really have it in them to be friendly. We’re wary by nature.”

“You make up for it in compassion.” Blake took a chip, turning it over in her hand. “You and your Uncle and Mama.”

“I didn’t realize you’d talked to them,” Yang said, propping her head on her hand.

“It was brief, but they were nice,” Blake said. “My car was acting up and Raven heard it from your garage. Apparently, it needed oil, so she showed me how to check the dipstick and put oil in the engine. And last month when my parents were out of town I locked myself out and your Uncle helped me get inside.” She paused for a second. “Although, he did do it by picking the lock.”

Yang snorted. “Did he show you how to pick the lock?” she asked.

“With a bobby pin and with a credit card.” Blake smirked. “He showed me how to open a window with a pocket knife, too.”

“He taught me and Ruby the same thing when we were younger,” Yang admitted. “Apparently he and Mama learned some things from living on the streets.”

Blake tilted her head, ears straight up. “They lived on the streets?”

Yang nodded, chewing on a chip. “They were in foster care for a while and ran away when they were…” She paused to think, tapping her fingers against her cheek. “They were around our age, actually. They wouldn’t tell me why they ran away, but Mama learned how to hotwire cars and Uncle Qrow learned how to pick locks, among other things.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “How to steal?” she asked dryly.

“Yep.” Yang popped the ‘p’ on her word. “Mama isn’t as tight-lipped about it as Uncle Qrow, but she only told me some things. They worked under the table doing odd jobs and bouncing around cities until they met Mom and Dad, apparently.”

“That sounds hard,” Blake murmured. 

“It was,” Yang agreed, “but the way Mama puts it, the hardships made them stronger. They learned what mattered to them and what they wanted and how to survive.”

“They shouldn’t have had to go through that.” Blake’s voice was a soft whisper, her ears once again folded down.

“No one should,” Yang said, “but that doesn’t change that they did. Adversity didn’t stop them, and they won’t let it happen to me or Ruby if they can help it.”

Blake hummed as she drummed her fingers along the table. “Chili night, huh?”

“Best chili you’ll ever eat,” Yang said. She started to put her food away, shoving them in her bag. “Dad’s secret recipe.”

“Guess I’ll have to try it, then.” Blake smiled at her, but when they parted ways for their separate classes, all she could think about was her silent phone.

* * *

The STRQ house was lively enough with its normal residents, but with the addition of the Ironwoods and the Belladonnas, it was almost boisterous. Seven adults and five teenagers was more than Blake was used to, but the adults all took their bowls of chili to the long dining room table, leaving the kids at the kitchen table. With Blake and Yang in the nook, Ruby, Oscar, and Penny in the chairs, bowls and drinks in front of them and a giant pot in the middle of the table, it was… nice. Domestic, almost, if a bit crowded. Once they finished eating, Blake and Yang had gone into the garage, where it was quiet, while the younger three booted up the gaming console in the living room.

“You weren’t kidding,” Blake said, laying on the workbench. 

“Dad’s chili is the best,” Yang reiterated. She was looking at the front wheel of her tire, a wrench in hand. “Ruby always asks for it for her birthday dinner, it’s her favorite food.”

“When is her birthday?” Blake looked at Yang, watching her work on the bike.

“Halloween,” Yang said. “Mine is July 8th.”

“February 18th,” Blake offered. “Halloween birthday, huh?”

“Yeah, she’d tell every house we trick-or-treated at that it was her birthday and they _always_ gave her extra candy.” Yang stretched, rolling her neck to crack it before looking at Blake upside down. “It’s a good thing she likes costumes too much to ever have tried dressing up as ‘the birthday girl’.”

Blake laughed, her hand lifting to cover her mouth. “Did she ever go as Little Red Riding Hood?” she asked. “She wears that cape all the time.”

“A few times when we were younger,” Yang said, sitting on the ground. “She’d be Little Red and I’d be Goldielocks. Dad would switch between Papa Bear and the Big Bad Wolf.”

Blake snorted, turning to look at the ceiling.

“Last time I dressed up was ninth grade,” she said softly. “My friend Ilia threw a costume party for the White Fang members.”

“That seems more fun than I’d expect from the White Fang,” Yang said. She leaned back on her hands, watching Blake. “What’d you dress up as?”

“Belle,” she said. “Ilia was the chameleon from _Tangled_ \- oh, right, you don’t know Ilia. She’s a chameleon Faunus, she moved to Menagerie for college last year. And Adam -”

She broke off, sitting up suddenly.

“Blake?”

“Adam was the Beast,” she said, a harsh laugh ripping through her throat. “He said - he said it must’ve been fate that we’d coordinated without meaning to.”

Yang shifted to lean against the bench, her cheek resting against Blake’s leg. “It’s not your fault, Blake,” she murmured. “People change, and not always for the better.”

“I should have been able to keep him on the right path,” she whispered. 

“That’s not your job.” Yang sat on the end of the bench, squeezing Blake’s knee. “Any behavior that Adam’s exhibited is _his_ responsibility, not yours.”

“But I-”

“ _No_.” Blake went quiet at Yang’s sharp look, the purple in her eyes flickering to red. “I learned the hard way that you’re only responsible for your own actions and how they affect people. Anything someone else does is their own responsibility. You can’t blame yourself for another person’s actions.”

Blake looked down at Yang’s hand on her knee, sniffing as tears welled in her eyes and one escaped down her cheek. She curled into herself as she cried, not protesting when Yang scooted forward to hug her. After a few minutes, she patted Yang’s arm and sat up, wiping her eyes. 

“I’m okay,” she sniffled with a wet smile. “Really, I am.”

“Y’know, there is a bright side to this,” Yang said, a crooked grin on her face.

“Really?”

“You’ve got your college essay material ready a year in advance.” She tapped Blake’s knee. “A philosophical essay on identity? Admissions officers are gonna be tripping over themselves to get you in.”

Blake snorted, shaking her head. “It’s gonna be a lot of drafts before I figure it out,” she murmured. “And I still don’t know who I am.”

“Mom would say to start a bullet point list,” Yang said, “and go from there. You’ve got a few things to go off of already - relationships, beliefs, morals, and goals.”

“Personal history and experiences, too.” Blake tapped her fingers along the bench as she thought.

“Trauma and oppression,” Yang added in a quiet voice. She turned to look at the kitchen door, kicking her legs up on her bike. “You can talk about being a Faunus and your activism in the White Fang.”

Blake hummed, pulling out her phone to make a list in her notes app. “How would you define me?” she asked, her ears tilted forward.

“Hmm.” Yang tapped her fingers as she thought. “Well, you’re my friend. You’re dedicated, both to activism and writing. You’re hard-working, you’re patient, you’re kind. Snarky, too.”

Blake blushed, ears folding slightly. Adam had never spoken so highly of her in all the time she’d known him, not even when they were dating. To hear Yang compliment her, so plainly and simply as though it were fact, was unfamiliar. Though not unwelcome, she realized as Yang continued on. It warmed her heart and filled her with conviction.

“Hey, you’re free this weekend, right?” Blake snapped back to attention when Yang asked her a question.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Without White Fang meetings, she had a lot more free time.

“Cool. We can go dress shopping.” Yang smirked at Blake’s confused blink. “Homecoming, remember? It’ll be fun.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “We can go dress shopping.”

Yang pumped a fist. “Yes! Mind if Ruby and Penny join us?”

“Yang, you can just ask me if I want to keep you company while you act as taxi driver,” Blake teased, standing up and stretching. 

Yang shrugged. “It’s more fun if you’re included in the plans. Besides, I said I’d save you a dance, didn’t I? I can’t do that if you don’t get a dress and _come_ to the dance.”

Blake snorted, shaking her head fondly. “Yang?” she said. “Can I ask about Velvet?” When Yang froze, she continued, “The pictures on your desk, she’s the rabbit Faunus, isn’t she?”

Yang nodded as she leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “We moved here from Patch,” she said. “It’s a small island just off the coast. There wasn’t a big Faunus population, but Velvet lived down the street from us. She’s a year older, but she always invited me and Ruby to play with her, even though it wasn’t cool to hang out with the younger kids. She was how we met Coco and Fox and Yatsu.”

Blake could see the fond sadness and nostalgia in Yang’s eyes, but her friend wasn’t looking at her as she spoke, instead fixed on her bike’s shining paint, the flecks of mud that had dried on the wheels.

“She moved to Menagerie before the end of last school year. From what Coco told me, she’s applying to Menagerie U and Vale U for their photography programs.” Yang tapped her fingers together, a forlorn look setting into her gaze. “She hasn’t talked to me since she left.”

Blake sat up to bump her shoulder into Yang’s. “I’m sure she’ll talk to you soon,” she said. 

“Yeah,” Yang said. She stood up, shoving her hands in her pockets. “We should see if Mom broke out dessert. She made cookies and they’re to _die_ for.”

Blake followed her, not pushing the questions she had about Velvet, about her move to Menagerie, about the sad looks Ruby and Yang would get whenever they heard her name or saw a rabbit or a camera. Yang would tell her when she was ready. Maybe by then she’d be ready to talk about Adam. Maybe she’d have a better idea of who she was. 

For now, eating cookies and listening to Raven and Qrow bicker about the best Smash Brothers Melee fighters, she was okay.

* * *

Yang was glad that Ruby was easy to shop with. Since they got to the mall, she’d seen at least five exasperated mothers arguing with their daughters over dresses. Ruby led them straight to a smaller shop and found a dress easily, red with black trim and a black sash. While she stuck with Penny, Blake and Yang browsed the dresses on their own, holding up more and more ridiculous dresses as they went until Yang held up a bright pink dress with a puffy skirt that send Blake into a fit of snorting laughter.

“Have you guys found anything?” Ruby asked, her dress folded over one arm.

“Think this is Blake’s color?” Yang asked, holding up the pink monstrosity. Penny wrinkled her nose and shook her head while Ruby cackled.

“ _No!_ ” Ruby said through her laughter. “You’ve been goofing around, haven’t you?”

“We need some laughter, little sis,” Yang said, putting the dress away. She flicked through the rack, pulling out a different dress. “How about this?”

Blake looked up from her side of the rack. She flicked an ear, offering Yang the dress she’d pulled out.

“Dressing rooms!” Ruby said, shepherding them to the cubicles. Yang came out first and Ruby gasped while Penny nodded. It was dark purple with a knee length skirt and a lighter purple lace overlay and a sweetheart neckline.

“Oh.” She turned, her breath hitching when she saw Blake. It was the same length, the same neckline, but the base was gold and the overlay was glitter gold. 

“I guess we have the same taste,” Yang quipped weakly. The gold matched Blake’s eyes near perfectly and with her hair reaching her waist she looked _good_.

“You look well-coordinated,” Penny said.

“You match!” Ruby said.

“Well, I think we’ve all got our dresses,” Yang said, looking at Blake. 

Blake nodded, but Yang could see a faint blush dusting her cheeks and, with a glance at the mirror, she could see the tips of her own ears were red. The rest of their trip, through the stores for jewelry and shoes and makeup, she kept sneaking furtive glances at Blake between conversations and choices. Every time, they’d catch each other’s eyes and Blake would look away sheepishly and Yang would grin. 

It made butterflies kick up in Yang’s stomach every time, and when she went to bed, she found her mind drifting back to Blake in the golden dress, the coordination and matching of their outfits leaving a warmth in her chest.

She pulled out her journal to write about the day, about Ruby and Penny and Blake making jokes and laughing in the food court, when the picture from prom fell out of the front cover. She turned it in her hand, eyes running over her and Velvet and Coco and Fox. They’d coordinated on purpose, careful planning from Coco that led to Velvet and Yang matching perfectly in their dresses. It was measured, calculated, the picture posed though their laughter was genuine. Comparing it to the day she’d spent in the mall didn’t seem fair, but when she drew the parallels between the outfits and the coordination and contrasted the difference in how she and Blake had picked out the dresses without looking at what the other held, how they’d picked the same dress in their favorite colors for the other, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was exactly where she was meant to be.

_“As my memory rests_

_But never forgets what I lost.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off: I know Blake is an allegory for both Beauty _and_ the Beast, but you can't dress up as both for a costume party, and I wanted some history with Adam.  
> It took me a while to write this chapter but I like how it turned out. I had to take a break and write other things (feel free to check out my FMA:B one-shot) but I managed to finish it at last! It was weird to write the questioning of personal identity and then have the comic chapter for Ruby questioning herself come out. I had written more on the topic, but it felt like I was repeating myself by having Blake and Yang talk to various people about it, so I traded it for a different discussion just between the two.  
> Also, the dresses are based on my own senior homecoming dress. I work in a fabric store and weirdly, purple is one of the _hardest_ colors to find. They're either really dark or really light and there's little middle ground, and god help you if you want a lilac or a lavender. (Green is the next hardest. I've only seen dark forest greens in my three years at this store.)  
> Tell me what you think! Even a kudos to let me see that you've finished the story brightens my day!


	9. Shut Up and Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the homecoming dance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

_“We were victims of the night,_

_The chemical, physical kryptonite,_

_Helpless to the bass and the fading light,_

_Oh, we were bound to get together,_

_Bound to get together.”_

The bookstore where Ruby had run into Weiss had become their designated place to hang out when they had the time. It wasn’t often - between their sports, homework, and home obligations, they didn’t have matching schedules - but it was enough for Ruby to look forward to whenever they did meet up. She found her in the cafe with a laptop and a notebook open, absorbed in her work. Before sitting down, she ordered two coffees, adding cream and sugar to her own and setting the second beside Weiss.

“I still don’t understand how you drink it like that,” Weiss said without looking up. “You might as well order a glass of milk.”

“If they offered milk I would,” Ruby said. “What are you working on?”

“Government project,” Weiss replied, closing her notebook. “Analyzing the different types of government around the world.”

“Sounds...fun?”

“Tedious,” Weiss corrected. “But it’s a grade, so.” She shrugged, putting her laptop and notebook in her bag. 

For a few minutes, they just sat in quiet, drinking their coffee and watching the passersby on the street. 

“Weiss?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think school dances are worth the trouble?”

Weiss set her cup down, running a finger on the rim. “As a social event, sure,” she said. “Administration making a space for students to interact with each other for more than thirty minutes is a good idea. The amount of pomp and stress that people go into for their appearance is another matter. How come?”

Ruby held her cup against her cheek, half-slumped over the table. “It’s homecoming in a couple weeks and I somehow got convinced to go,” she said. “We went to the mall yesterday - me, Yang, Penny, and Blake - and Yang and Blake were flirting the whole time and now I don’t know if I’m supposed to have a date or if it’s fine that I’m going with Penny and Oscar as friends.”

“You’re definitely allowed to go to the dance without a date,” Weiss said, biting back a chuckle. “It’ll be more fun to hang out with Penny and Oscar than to try and impress some boy, anyway.”

“Alsius probably has fancier dances than Beacon does,” Ruby said. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Weiss said. “I’ve never gone to a dance.”

“What?” Ruby set her cup down, stretching across the table to pat at Weiss’s arm. “You’ve gotta go to a dance, Weiss!”

“Dances are full of people who have spent the last ten years avoiding me,” Weiss said. “I see them enough during school. I don’t need them to avoid me during a dance, too.”

“So come to Beacon’s dance.” Weiss looked at her, surprise clear in her blue eyes. “You can hang out with me! And Penny and Oscar!”

“I don’t know,” Weiss said.

“Come _on_ , Weiss,” Ruby said, drawing out the ‘i’ in her name. “You get to look fancy and you can hang out with me and Penny and Oscar. Blake and Yang and I are going out for dinner before at this sushi place Blake and Yang love. Oh! You can talk to Blake and Yang, too!”

Weiss hesitated but Ruby’s wide silver eyes, her patting hands on the table, made her sigh. “Okay. I’ll go to the dance.”

Ruby whooped, pulling out her phone to show Weiss pictures of her dress and jewelry and makeup tests. Listening to her chatter and chatting with her about dresses and rides and dinner, Weiss felt more relaxed than she had in weeks.

* * *

The sushi place was one Blake and Yang frequented, a small, local shop run by a Faunus couple. They found Weiss waiting in her car, phone in hand. Ruby knocked on her window, gasping when she stepped out.

“You look beautiful!” she said, clapping her hands. “Oh, you put your hair in a braid. And a pin!”

Weiss blushed under Ruby’s gushing. She’d found a light blue dress with silver detailing and matched her silver jewelry, picking out her ruby earrings and necklace and hairpins, with silver bracelets and rings. It paralleled Ruby, with her black-trimmed red dress and black sash tied in a rose at her side. She wore a black choker, a ruby ring, and leather bracelets, the gothic dress matching her hair, the silver ring band matching her eyes.

“You look nice, too,” she said nervously with a glance at the others. Blake and Yang, coordinated in gold and purple, were giggling over something on Yang’s phone. Yang grinned at her, offering a hand to Ruby when she stumbled in her heels. Blake and Yang were absorbed in each other and Weiss realized that Ruby hadn’t been kidding when she said they flirted with each other constantly.

Sitting beside Ruby in the booth, she nudged her with an elbow. “Are you sure they aren’t dating?” she murmured, nodding to Blake and Yang sitting across from them with their heads close together.

“Yang hasn’t told me they are,” Ruby whispered back. She pointed to the menu, tapping her finger against it. “Do you know what you want?”

Weiss shook her head. “I’ve never had sushi before,” she said. “What do you recommend?”

“You’ve never had sushi?” Weiss looked at Blake, surprised to have gotten her attention. When she shook her head, Blake leaned forward to push the menu flat, pointing at each item as she spoke. “Well, a Philly roll is always safe, and California rolls are popular, too. If you aren’t big on cream cheese, a Boston or an Alaskan roll are good, too.”

“What do you usually get?” Weiss asked, looking at Blake. She tried not to focus on her ears, but she had golden piercings in them, three hoops and a stud on one side, two hoops and three studs on the other. 

“I usually get these ones.” She flipped to the page of Chef Rolls. “Amazing Tuna and Tuna Love.”

“Mango?” Weiss asked, reading the descriptions. 

“It adds a bit of sweetness,” Blake said. 

“If you like spicy,” Yang said, leaning on the table, “the Red Dragon and the Godzilla are the _best_.”

“You don’t get to make recommendations,” Blake said, batting Yang’s hand from the menu. “You eat wasabi straight.”

“It’s _delicious,”_ Yang said.

“It’s _disgusting,”_ Blake argued. “A bit of wasabi and ginger to cleanse the palate is one thing, but eating wasabi like it’s pudding is another.”

Yang just grinned and winked at Weiss. “We’ve been working our way through the menu. Blake is the expert, but we’ve found a few worth noting. The TNT is rich with a bit of a kick to it. The Fantastic and the Rainbow are balanced and savory, not spicy or sweet. This one, the Hawaii? Light spice, some crunch.”

She read the descriptions, blinking at the TNT. “Deep fried,” she read aloud, “salmon, cream cheese, and avocado. And that’s spicy?”

“Just a little,” Blake said, holding her fingers in a pinch. 

She skimmed the others Yang had mentioned. The Hawaii was raw spicy salmon, crunchy, and topped with spicy tuna; the Rainbow was raw crab stick with cucumber and avocado inside, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and avocado on top; the Fantastic was raw salmon, tuna, yellowtail, avocado, topped with four different tobikos. The pictures for them were artfully staged, making every one look appealing.

“What’s tobiko?” she asked.

“Fish eggs,” Blake said. “It’s a bigger sort than masago, but they’re both fish eggs. They add a bit of saltiness.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow, looking at Ruby. “What do you think?”

“I usually get the Philly and the Vale,” she said, pointing at the Vale Roll, with orange sauce and a piece of white meat on top. “Spicy kani, cucumber, avocado, topped with seared white tuna, and tobiko special sauce. The tuna makes sure it doesn’t leave a spicy aftertaste.”

Weiss hummed, skimming the menu a final time before they placed their order. Normally, she would watch the other customers while waiting in a restaurant, but this one wasn’t busy enough for her to watch anyone. An older couple were talking at a table and a few college kids were seated at the bar to watch the chef prepare the food. 

“So, Weiss,” Blake said, “how did you meet Ruby?”

“The bookstore on South,” Weiss said. She watched Blake break the chopsticks apart and rub the splintered ends together. “She almost knocked me over.”

Ruby held up a finger. “But I didn’t,” she said proudly. “She told me I should watch that show Yatsu was always telling us about.”

“The one about alchemists?” Yang asked.

Weiss nodded and Blake perked up. “The first or the second one?”

“The second,” Weiss said. “The first one was weird.”

Blake nodded in agreement. “The first one started before the manga was finished so it went off track pretty quickly,” she said. “The second one is actually faithful to the source.”

“Better animation, too,” Ruby said. “The first one had duller colors.”

“You managed to get through it?” Weiss asked.

Ruby shook her head. “I got through five episodes before giving up.”

Yang looked between the three of them, eyebrows furrowed together. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said flatly.

“We can watch it together!” Ruby said, throwing her hands up and kicking her legs out. 

“It is really good,” Blake said. “Though I wouldn’t have taken you for someone to watch anime, Weiss.”

She shrugged, crossing her legs. “A few classmates were talking about it, so I thought I’d give it a go.”

“I guess Alsius has their share of nerds, too,” Yang said with a grin.

“Absolutely,” Weiss said. “Probably more than Beacon, considering our clubs are all academic and the most popular is debate.”

“Let me guess,” Blake said, “a bunch of argumentative kids with an incessant need to be right?”

“Bingo,” Weiss said, pointing at Blake. 

“What clubs are you in?” Yang asked.

“None,” Weiss said. She leaned her head on her hand, tapping a chopstick against her water glass. “Unless you count fencing, but that’s a sport.”

“Our clubs are mandatory,” Ruby said. “They only meet once a month, though, during the traveling study hall.”

“What club did you pick?” Blake asked. 

“Writing.”

Blake flicked her ears. “Me, too.” She tilted her head to Yang. “I couldn’t convince Yang to join, though.”

“I’m not a writer,” Yang said simply. “I’d rather practice Chinese with Dad.”

“You speak Chinese?” Weiss asked.

“Yep! Mandarin, specifically. Ruby does, too.” Yang grinned at Weiss’s surprised look. “Dad’s family immigrated when he was a kid and Nainai and Yeye made sure he knew how to read, write, and speak Mandarin. Preserving culture and remembering their roots and all that.”

“Isn’t your mom fluent in Spanish?” Blake asked.

“That’s from Abuelita,” Ruby chirped. 

“Granny Calavera is _technically_ our adoptive great-grandmother,” Yang said, “but she told us to drop the great or she’d show us how great she was with her cane.”

At Weiss and Blake’s confused looks, Ruby explained, “Mom’s parents died when she was in high school. Abuelita is her godmother, so she took her in, but she told Mom she was too old to be a mother and would rather stay an abuela.”

“I called her ‘bisabuela’ _once,_ ” Yang said, “because Qrow said that was the proper term. She made him rake the entire acre of her yard as payback.”

“Do your Mama and Uncle have a second language?” Weiss asked.

“German,” Ruby said. “But they mostly use it to swear at each other.”

“Did Ruby tell you about her mishap with Frau Reinhart?” Yang asked.

“Yang!” Ruby whined.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, holding her glass out of the way for the waitress to set the plates down. “Do tell,” she said, sipping her water delicately.

“The _assignment_ for the week was to translate a song from German to English or English to German,” Yang said. “Ruby figured out she’d done it wrong about five minutes before class and Frau Reinhart came in to have her heart _stopped_ upon hearing our sweet, innocent Ruby swearing like a sailor in German, Spanish, English, _and_ Mandarin. Reinhart didn’t know what the Mandarin was, and when she repeated the words to Dad, he had to tell her Ruby had called the assignment ‘a godforsaken test of wills that served only to frustrate and annoy and taught naught but a lesson in futility.’”

Weiss snorted and coughed, trying not to choke on her water while Blake burst into laughter, her head tossed back and her hand over her mouth.

 _“Yang!”_ Ruby whined.

“Oh my gods, _Ruby,”_ Blake wheezed. 

“It’s true!” Ruby cried. “Translating a song doesn’t make any sense, if I were to translate a Chinese song it wouldn’t make any sense in English! German and English are barely any better because they have the same roots as Germanic languages! It’d make _more sense_ to have us translate passages from books than poetry that loses its touch when taken out of its native language!”

Yang cackled as Ruby waved her chopsticks in the air while she spoke. Weiss started laughing, leaning into the wall when Ruby cut her a glare.

“You’re not entirely wrong,” Weiss said, using her napkin to dab at the corners of her eyes, “but you don’t just tell a teacher they’re giving an exercise in futility.”

“I know that _now,”_ Ruby grumbled, slouching in her seat. She took her chopsticks and shove a piece of sushi in her mouth, chewing methodically. “Mm. Sushi.”

Yang rolled her eyes, rubbing her chopsticks together. “It gets rid of the splinters,” she told Weiss. “Now, custom, I’m told, dictates that you eat each piece in one bite and one roll at a time, with a bit of ginger and wasabi at the end to cleanse your palate. If you’re like me and Ruby and don’t care, you can rotate between rolls and decide what order to eat them in. If you’re a stickler like Blake, one roll at a time with just a nibble of the ginger and wasabi.”

“Rotating is fine,” Blake said. “I just don’t like to mix my flavors.”

“Do we each want to try a piece of each other’s rolls or do we want to stick with what we ordered?” Ruby asked. Weiss was looking at her plate, where a Philly and a Vale Roll sat watching her.

“We’ve tried all of these before,” Yang said, gesturing to her and Blake. “But I am willing to sacrifice pieces to Weiss so she can try different rolls.”

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“Shh, take the sushi,” Ruby whispered, using her chopsticks to put a piece of her TNT Roll on Weiss’s plate. Blake and Yang followed suit, the pieces part of their initial recommendations - Amazing Tuna, Tuna Love, Red Dragon, and Godzilla. 

Realizing that they were watching her, waiting for a verdict, she ate each piece slowly, considering the flavors carefully. The Godzilla was spicier than she expected a deep-fried roll to be, while the cucumber in the Red Dragon brought a freshness that made the spiciness easier to handle. The two tuna rolls were very similar, but she preferred the Amazing Tuna with its bit of mango. The sweetness worked surprisingly well with the seared fish and added flavor where the avocado lacked it. The TNT did have a small amount of spiciness, but the richness of the cream cheese mellowed it out like Yang had said.

“I think,” she said, tapping her chopsticks against the plate, “the TNT and the Amazing Tuna are the best of them. They have a good balance of flavors.”

Ruby and Blake grinned while Yang pouted. “Another person who doesn’t love spicy,” she said forlornly, shaking her head. “What has the world come to.”

“Don’t worry, Yang,” Ruby said. “You can always eat spicy food with Dad.”

“Ruby, that’s even sadder than eating spicy food alone.”

Stomachs full and plates cleared, Weiss took the check before any of them could pull out their cash and handed the waitress her card.

“You don’t have to do that,” Blake said.

Weiss shrugged, folding her napkin onto her plate. “Use your cash for tip money,” she said. “I can cover the bill. As thanks.”  
“Thanks for what?” Ruby asked.

Weiss blinked. “For letting me join you,” she said. “And for inviting me to the dance.”

“Aw, my little sis has a date,” Yang cooed. Ruby and Weiss both went red, looking away from each other as Ruby scooted to the end of the bench and Weiss examined the wallpaper. Blake snorted and shook her head at Yang, her own ears tinged pink when Yang winked at her.

* * *

At the school, Tai waved them through once Ruby had introduced Weiss. The dance itself was in the cafeteria, cleared of tables and chairs. A DJ - not Flynt, Ruby noted sadly - was at a table by the wall with stereos on either side, a computer and mixing board in front of him, and heavy headphones over his ears. 

The first thing Yang did was find where the chairs were stacked and kicked off her heels, hiding them under the third stack of chairs. Ruby and Blake followed suit immediately, but Weiss hesitated.

“It’ll be easier to dance without heels, Weiss,” Ruby said. With a sigh, Weiss put her heels beside Ruby’s and tucked her small purse behind the shoes, out of sight.

“Blake!” Sun ran over and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “I owe Neptune five bucks, I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

Blake shrugged. “I was convinced. You actually dressed up.”

Sun grinned. He was in a tie, his buttoned shirt tucked into his slacks. “Neptune would have killed me if I came in casual clothes,” he said, tail curling behind him. 

“I would have made you change before coming here,” Neptune corrected. He was in similar fare with a blazer over his shirt. He noticed Weiss and tilted his head. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Neptune.”

“Weiss,” she said, offering a hand.

“Ruby’s _date,”_ Yang stage-whispered.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Yang but looked at Weiss. “Is this a date?” she asked. 

Weiss shrugged, ignoring the warmth in her ears. “I’m not opposed to it being a date,” she said. Ruby beamed at her and the warmth in her smile could have melted the ice caps. She grabbed Weiss’s hand and led her to the dance floor, already chattering. 

“They’re cute,” Sun said to Yang. “Is Ruby…”

“She doesn’t care much for labels,” Yang said. “She hasn’t picked one out that I know of, at least.”

“And what about you?” Sun asked. Neptune and Blake had drifted to the dance floor and were laughing at each other’s terrible dance moves. 

“Gay as a rainbow, my friend,” she said. She watched Ruby and Weiss chat with Jaune and Pyrrha as they danced in pairs. They were laughing, dancing a pseudo-waltz that didn’t fit the tempo of the music and laughing more when Jaune and Ruby spun around and traded partners, now Jaune with Weiss and Pyrrha with Ruby until they spun again and it was Jaune and Ruby and Pyrrha and Weiss, until they spun once more and found their original partner.

“Sun,” Yang said, measuring her words on her tongue as Sun offered her a hand and led her to the dance floor, “do you know if Blake is straight?”

“She’s had a bi flag on her wall since middle school,” Sun said, spinning her. “She’s just quieter about it than me and Neptune.”

Yang nodded, grinning when Blake bumped into her. “Blake, that’s not how you do a box step,” she laughed. “Like this.”

“That’s what I’m doing!” Blake said, pointing at Yang’s feet. 

“Step by step, follow me,” Yang said. Her face was starting to hurt from how wide her grin was, but laughing with Sun as Blake and Neptune tried to follow her steps made it worth it. Ren joined in, mimicking her perfectly while Nora laughed at Neptune tripping over his own feet. 

Yang caught Ruby’s eye when she was dancing with Penny and winked, nodding to where Weiss and Oscar were standing by the wall and chatting. Ruby blushed and nodded to Blake, smirking when Yang’s face went red. Sometimes they didn’t need words to understand each other, let alone to tease each other.

When the music slowed down, Yang grabbed Blake’s hand and Ruby pulled Weiss away from the wall, copying the other dancers to sway in time to the music.

“Most slow dances,” Weiss said quietly, “do have steps to them.”

“Most slow dances,” Ruby giggled, “aren’t to Ed Sheeran songs.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and smiled fondly at Ruby when she grinned at her, not that she could see it with her eyes shut in joy. She saw Yang and Blake swaying together and nudged Ruby, nodding to them.

The pair were focused on each other, Yang’s hands on Blake’s waist, Blake’s resting on Yang’s shoulders. They were whispering to each other, heads bent close enough that their bangs were brushing. They didn’t notice that Sun and Neptune, Pyrrha and Jaune, Ren and Nora, Weiss and Ruby were all watching them with knowing glances at each other. 

Both were wreathed in purple and gold, wearing the colors that matched their own eyes. Blake’s jewelry, all with gold bases, was simple, like she wasn’t trying to distract from the dress. Her rings and bracelet had amethysts while her earrings - both in her cat ears and human ears - were plain gold like the thin chain necklace she had. Yang’s jewelry was more elaborate, a stack of plain gold bangles that covered half her forearm, dangling gold and amethyst earrings, an amethyst pendant on a gold chain, a carved gold ring with the same stone set in the center. Where Blake’s jewelry extended the gold to cover her, Yang’s complemented her dress and tied in with her hair, which hung loose around her waist.

For the moment, for Blake and Yang, all that existed was the pair of them and the music drifting through the space between them, small as it was. Yang rested her forehead against Blake’s and closed her eyes, listening to Blake’s breath hitch and even out as she returned the gesture. Her ears brushed against Yang’s hair and she smiled, unaware that Blake had the same expression.

“How long before they admit that they like each other?” Ruby whispered to Weiss, bumping her temple against Weiss’s.

Weiss relaxed her head against Ruby’s, letting her hair brush her cheek. “However long they need,” Weiss said. “Let them figure it out on their own before rushing them.”

“Easy for you to say,” Ruby said. “You don’t see them every day.”

Weiss snorted. “You’ll tell me all about them, though.”

Ruby grinned. “Yeah, I will.” She didn’t move from hugging Weiss, content in sharing her space and watching her sister. They’d figure it out soon enough.

_"Oh, don't you dare look back,_

_Just keep your eyes on me"_

_I said, "You're holding back,"_

_She said, "Shut up and dance with me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, this was gonna be a plot-driven chapter about Weiss but then I decided the kids needed to be happy so it was time for the homecoming dance.  
> So, those sushi rolls? All real, they're from the menu of my favorite local sushi place. The Vale Roll is the only one I renamed because it's actual name is a nearby town. And it's genuinely one of my favorites, sushi is fuckin delicious.  
> The anime in question, in case you're wondering, is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I just rewatched it and needed something for Weiss and Ruby to bond over so it became that. I like the idea of Blake being a secret anime nerd and Yang not caring about anime at all, but sitting through it to make her friends happy.  
> I can't remember where it came from, but the idea that Summer would be distantly related to Maria is one that I like. If silver eyes are so rare, the bloodlines must be somewhat close, right? And I like polyglot characters, a friend of mine in high school spoke like nine languages by the time we graduated. His first language was Arabic because his mom was from Lebanon and he would just teach himself more languages. I can't remember all of them, but English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, and Romanian were some of them.  
> Yeah, Blake and Yang are slow burn while Weiss and Ruby are awkwardly, clumsily figuring things out with each other. Their friends are all waiting for them to bite the bullet and get together but they can't just say that because Ruby would be mad at them for interfering. And no one wants to make Ruby mad.  
> Let me know what you think!


	10. Run Boy Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A harsh reality forces Weiss to make a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Run Boy Run by Woodkid

_“Run, boy, run! This world is not made for you,_

_Run, boy, run! They’re trying to catch you,_

_Run, boy, run! Running is a victory,_

_Run, boy, run! Beauty lies behind the hills.”_

Weiss had warned her mother she was getting home late and expected a dark house with her family asleep. She took off her heels at the threshold, not wanting to make much noise, but the dining room light clicked on as she walked through, revealing her father sat at the head of the table with his hands knit over a glass of whiskey.

“And just where have you been?” he asked.

She hesitated. “I was with my friends,” she said.

“Dressed like that?” he sneered. 

Weiss felt ice go down her spine and grit her teeth. “It was a school dance,” she said sharply. 

“Alsius’s homecoming dance isn’t until next week,” he said.

“It was Beacon’s homecoming.” She crossed her arms, her heels dangling from her fingers. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

“I distinctly remember telling you to cease contact with that Beacon girl.”

“And I decided that wasn’t in my best interest,” Weiss retorted. “Ruby is a good friend. I like talking to her. I like seeing her. My grades haven’t suffered, nor has my fencing.”

“Are your classmates at Alsius not enough?” Jacques asked. “They’re the children of valuable business partners, Weiss. Making connections with them is for the better of our family.”

“They only see me for my name and money,” Weiss snapped. “Ruby sees me for _me_ and I put more value in that than the small chance someone might do business with us.”

Jacques stood up suddenly and Weiss jolted back, bumping into the wall. He carried his whiskey with him, swirling the ice in the glass. “You’ve become distracted,” he said sadly. “You’re placing yourself above the good of the family. It’s… disappointing.”

Weiss glared at him. “I am making an effort,” she said, “to make connections with people I otherwise would not have. Ruby’s perspective is different because of her differing socio-economic class, and that’s valuable to me in learning how to make connections with people from different walks of life. Not all of our business partners will be from generational wealth or upper class, and I think -”

_Smack!_

Weiss yelped, raising a hand to her cheek and looking at her father, shocked and horrified. He’d done many things - ignore her, become cold and dismissive - but he’d _never_ hit her before. Now he was watching her, his hand still raised from backhanding her, and she felt something wet drip onto her hand.

Pulling her hand away, she gasped at the red staining her fingers. His ring had cut her face and she could feel it starting to sting. She winced and gasped as her vision blurred, blood seeping into her left eye.

“Weiss-”

She bit back a sob and ran upstairs, slamming her door and locking it as she dropped her heels and went to her bathroom. Her hands shook when she looked at them. The blood was working its way under her rings, crusting on her skin. A glance in the mirror made her breath catch. A deep cut stretching from her eyebrow to her cheekbone and the blood had seeped into her left eye and was dripping down her chin.

_She had to leave._

With shaking hands, she grabbed a hand towel and ran it under warm water before folding it and holding it against her eye. She could feel tears welling and it made her eye sting even more under the towel. Red was seeping across the light blue and her breaths became shallower.

_She had to leave._

She slammed a fist on the counter, stomping out of her bathroom to her closet. One hand holding the towel to her eye, she looked around until she found the plastic suitcase she used for trips and rolled it out, throwing it on her bed. An ear peeled for her father’s footsteps, she did her best to fold her clothes one handed and pack them neatly. She bit her lip at the messy folds, trying not to cry. 

_She had to leave._

Digging through her nightstand, she pulled out her journal and a keepsake box. Into the keepsake box went the necklace Winter had given her for her thirteenth birthday, the picture of the two of them at one of her recitals, and a few other small things. A flash of red caught her eye and she looked at her closet, pulling from a hanger the red scarf her grandfather had given her. She nestled them among her clothes and went back into her bathroom, forcing herself not to look in the mirror as she grabbed her toothbrush, razor, comb, hair pins, and ties, and tucked them into the smaller pocket of the case.

_She had to leave._

In front of the mirror, she peeled the towel away from her eye, wincing as it pulled at some of the crusted blood. Biting her tongue, she found a pack of gauze pads and medical tape and coated it in Neosporin before fixing it over her eye. She washed her hands, trying to even out her breathing as the blood was rinsed down the sink, the water swirling pink down the drain. She stared at it before looking in the mirror. Blood had dried down the left side of her face, yet none touched her dress.

 _She had to leave_.

Carefully, she changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, doing her best not to agitate her makeshift bandage as she slipped a hoodie over her head. She folded the dress neatly, tucking it under her other clothes in the suitcase. She didn’t want to leave it behind, not after the fun she’d had wearing it.

As methodically as she could, she went through every drawer and pulled out any loose bills and spare change she’d hidden over the years. Winter had put a few false bottoms in her drawers and any cash she’d pulled out of her account over the years had been hidden in various places. She doubted her father would have thought to look for them, but she had never thought he’d looked through her messages, either. The bills, once she found all of them, were tucked into her wallet and put in her pants pocket. She took out the credit and debit cards, but left her driver’s license in her wallet.

With all of her lights turned off, she opened her window, glancing back at her bedroom door as she did. The hallway light was off so she pulled her laptop out of her schoolbag, placing it on the bed and connecting it to her phone, backing up all of her pictures from the night. She glanced at her keys and pulled off her thumb drive, moving all of her important files onto it. The thumb drive went into her keepsake box while the laptop and her phone went on her nightstand, plugged in and neatly aligned. It was almost three in the morning. She cracked her bedroom door open and could hear Whitley’s soft snores from his room, her father’s from the other end of the hall.

Under her window was a trellis with a bush in front of it. With steady hands, she dropped the suitcase and her backpack - which she’d emptied of school stuff - onto the bush before swinging herself out of the window, descending the trellis as quietly as she could. She didn’t go to her car, walking instead. She didn’t know the city as well as she would have liked, but she knew from Ruby that there was a bus stop at the end of both their streets. 

The driver didn’t bat an eye at her when she got on and didn’t question why she needed directions to a stop across town. They just told her which stops to go to and which lines to follow. After an hour, she found herself at the end of Axis Drive, and from a distance, she could see Yang’s bike.

“ _Weiss?”_

She jumped, yelping as she tripped over her suitcase and fell in the grass. Ruby stared at her, panting in a red tank top and sweats.

“Ruby!” she cried.

“Weiss, what _happened?”_ She darted forward, faltering when Weiss flinched back. Slowly, she held a hand near Weiss’s eye.

“I- My father - He - I”

Ruby rested her hand on Weiss’s cheek, looking at her carefully.

“Mama can look at your eye,” she said, grabbing Weiss’s suitcase. “Come on.”

When Weiss didn’t move, she took her hand, pulling her to her house. Once Weiss was sat at the kitchen nook, her things tucked under the table in the foyer, she set the coffee on and said, “Just wait here a minu- Zwei, no!”

Weiss pulled her legs up as the dog barrelled toward her, barking once before sitting in front of her, panting and wagging his tail.

“He’s friendly, I promise,” Ruby said. “Wait here a minute, okay?”

Weiss nodded, holding a hand down to Zwei. He sniffed her fingers and licked her hand, making her smile.

“Ruby, what-”

Weiss jumped when the basement door swung open, revealing a disheveled Qrow. She froze, her hand still on Zwei as she stared at him. He blinked at her, hand in his hair.

“Kid, what happened?” He walked over quickly and sat in one of the chairs, reaching out toward her face but not touching her, instead studying her face.

“My - he -”

“Did you clean it?” he asked gently.

“I put a towel on it,” she said weakly, “with warm water?”

He shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Wait here.” He disappeared for a second, returning with a pack of gauze pads, clean hand towels, medicinal tape, and antibiotic cream. “May I?”

She nodded, holding stiff while he peeled the gauze from her eye. She heard his sharp intake of breath when he pulled it away.

“First lesson of first aid,” he murmured, grabbing a few bowls and filling them with water, “always use cold water. Warm or hot helps the bacteria grow.”

Footsteps thudded down the stairs and Raven and Ruby came into the kitchen. Ruby beelined for the coffee pot, pouring four mugs.

“Ruby?” Qrow asked, shifting to let Raven sit beside Weiss in the nook.

“I ran into her on my run,” Ruby said, taking Weiss’s hand and pushing a steaming mug into it. “Weiss, what happened?”

Weiss stared at the mug, feeling tears prick at her eyes and wincing when her left eye started to sting. “My father,” she breathed. “He wasn’t happy that I went to your school dance.”

“That’s an understatement,” Raven grumbled. Gently, she put a hand on Weiss’s chin, turning her to look at her eye. “I don’t think you’ll need stitches, but patching it up won’t feel nice.”

“It already doesn’t feel nice,” Weiss said, trying not to snap.

Raven smirked, her thumb brushing against Weiss’s cheek. “Hold Ruby’s hand and let me clean this.”

Ruby took her hand dutifully, watching as Raven used a towel to clean Weiss’s face. Weiss squeezed her hand every time it stung, trying not to dig her nails into her. It was slow and methodical how Raven cleaned the wound, dressed it, and covered it, like she’d done it a thousand times - which she had, though it was usually for Ruby and Yang when they got hurt as kids.

“There,” Raven said softly, “clean as I can get it.”

“Thank you,” Weiss murmured. She accepted the mug of coffee Qrow gave her, not oblivious to the worry in his eyes.

“You said your father did this because you went to Beacon’s homecoming?” he asked.

She nodded, staring at the coffee. It was odd only using one eye - her depth perception was off and she couldn’t see Raven, despite being right next to her.

“Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen,” Raven said, brushing Weiss’s hair behind her ear. “You’ve got bags under your eyes bigger than the ones in the hall. Have you slept at all?”

Weiss shook her head. “I’m sorry for intruding,” she said. “I didn’t know where to go.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Raven said. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“But-”

“Kid,” Qrow said, “any friend of Ruby or Yang is welcome here, especially when their own home isn’t safe.”

“Though we usually get a call first,” Ruby said, not unkindly.

“I left my phone,” Weiss said. “And my laptop. I didn’t want him -” She broke off, blinking as she realized what she’d done.

“You didn’t want him to track you down,” Raven said. She kept a hand on Weiss’s shoulder, a steady warmth that reminded her she was there, even if Weiss couldn’t fully see her.

“I ran away,” she whispered. “I ran away.”

“Yes?” Ruby said, tilting her head. “Weiss?”

Weiss blinked rapidly, her hands starting to shake around the mug of coffee. “I ran away,” she repeated, barely audible. 

“Weiss-”

“Ruby,” Qrow said, “go get Summer.”

Ruby hesitated, looking between Weiss and Qrow until he said, _“Now_ , Ruby _.”_

He pulled the coffee away, setting his hand on Weiss’s. “Weiss, breathe. You’re having a panic attack.”

She shook her head, breaths uneven and shallow and harsh. “No, I’m not - I’m fine - I- I - _I ran away-_ ”

She dug her fingers into her hair, eyes wet and gaze wavering. Raven’s hand disappeared and a smaller presence took her spot, combing its fingers through her hair and pulling her fingers out of her hair.

“Weiss, can you hear me?” Summer asked, one arm around Weiss’s shoulders. “I need you to breathe in. Count to five and hold your breath for five seconds, okay?”

Summer counted out loud, telling Weiss when to breathe in, when to hold, when to exhale. She undid her braid as she spoke, stroking Weiss’s hair until her breaths were even and she was slumped over the table.

“I ran away,” she whispered. 

“You did,” Summer said. “You came to Ruby’s house. Raven patched up your eye. Remember?”

Weiss nodded, staring at the table. There was a deep notch in it by her hand. 

“Do you feel better?” Summer asked.

“A little,” Weiss said weakly.

“Good.” Summer kept her arm around Weiss’s shoulders. “You had a panic attack. You were probably stomping down all your stress until you were somewhere safe, right?” 

Weiss nodded, looking at her. She looked so much like Ruby, but older.

“You need to sleep. You can use Ruby’s room.”

“My father -”

“Isn’t going to come here,” Summer said, putting a hand on Weiss’s. “We - us adults - we’re going to talk to James next door. I think you know him, Mr. Ironwood? We’re not going to send you off to a place you don’t feel safe, but you need to sleep. You look like you’ve been up all night. Ruby, can you show her?”

“Sure thing, Mom!” Ruby took Weiss’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “Zwei, you too!”

Zwei barked, following them upstairs. Ruby didn’t chatter the way she usually did, instead opening her door and rubbing her neck awkwardly.

“It’s probably not what you’re used to,” she said nervously, looking at the red rose decor and her school stuff spread out on her desk.

“It’s great,” Weiss said, looking around. The room was full of books and knick-knacks and things that were so quintessentially _Ruby_ that it felt like the furthest thing from the manor, with its cold, impersonal interior. “I love it.”

“Great!” Ruby gestured to the bed. “Yang’s room is across the hall, and the one at the far end is my parents’, but the bathroom is next door if you need it. I’ll, uh, let you sleep.”

“Ruby?” Weiss said before she could duck out.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Ruby smiled at her, warm and bright. “What are friends for?”

Safe in Ruby’s bed, she let out a heavy breath, the tension in her chest and shoulders unwinding. Surrounded by red and roses, she couldn’t help but think about Ruby. Every time she got a text from Ruby she felt herself warm at the attention. There was no ulterior motive, no aim to gain something from her, no game they were playing. Ruby didn’t care about the stature of her family, the wealth of her name. She only cared about Weiss’s friendship, and that was something Weiss had never had before. Their time spent hanging out were the highlights of her days, the only thing she looked forward to.

Zwei wiggled next to her and went to sleep immediately, his soft, steady breathing lulling her to sleep.

* * *

“How long do you think they’ll be talking?” Ruby asked Yang from where she sat cross-legged on Yang’s sunflower rug with a book open in her lap.

“A while,” Yang said, frowning at the papers on her desk. “I’ve never seen Mom so angry.”

Ruby nodded, running her thumb along the edge of the cover. Their parents were in Summer’s office with Qrow and James, who’d come running when Qrow told him what had happened. While Ruby was used to seeing him calm and collected, sharing gentle words with her or joking with Qrow and Raven or chatting with Tai and Yang in Mandarin. When he came into the kitchen, he looked scared, and when Raven told him about Weiss, he looked downright furious.

Ruby didn’t like him angry the same way she didn’t like her mom angry. They were nice people, kind and steady and compassionate. Anger didn’t suit them, not the way it did Raven and Yang, who would redirect it and cut people with words before using their fists. Their anger was easy to predict, easy to see. As soon as they said what they wanted to, it would leave them and they’d go back to normal. Summer, though, didn’t look likely to let up her anger any time soon. Ruby had seen it before she’d shut the office door, the fire in her eyes that made her hands shake and her jaw set. James, by comparison, was like ice - his eyes were cold and posture straight and set, hands clenched in fists, the few words she’d heard harsh and curt.

Her door creaked open across the hall and Zwei trotted out before Weiss, barking once before hopping onto Yang’s bed. Weiss, rubbing her good eye, padded after him like a zombie.

“Feel better?” Ruby asked.

“A bit,” Weiss mumbled, sitting beside her on the floor. She leaned against Ruby’s shoulder, blinking to clear her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Half past one,” Yang said. Leaning against the back of her chair, she tilted her head at Weiss. “We need to change that bandage.”

Weiss winced but nodded, letting Yang lead her to the bathroom. Yang paused when she pulled the bandage away, looking at the wound.

“We need to take pictures of it.” Summer was in the doorway. “As evidence.”

“Let me clean it first,” Raven said, trading places with Yang. 

“Evidence?” Weiss asked, her eye shut tight while Raven used cold water and soap to clean her face.

“James called your mother, Willow,” Summer said. “This was the last straw she needed.”

Weiss blinked, eyebrows shooting up. “She’s… she’s going to file. For divorce.”

Summer nodded, handing Raven her phone.

“But - my father’s lawyers - they won’t - he won’t -”

“Weiss,” Summer said gently, sliding in to take her hand. “I’m a divorce lawyer. I already agreed to take Willow’s case.”

“She’s never sent a child to a bad parent,” Raven said. “And you’re old enough that what you want will be considered.”

Weiss blinked, tears filling her eyes - and making her left eye sting, again. She jolted when Raven moved the phone in front of her, holding still to let her take a photo. 

“Can you open your eye?” Raven asked.

Weiss did her best, gritting her teeth as it reopened the wound and sent a fresh trickle of blood down her cheek. Raven took the picture and handed Summer the phone, fixing a fresh bandage over Weiss’s eye.

In the kitchen, James was sat at the table talking to Qrow and Ruby while Tai and Yang were making sandwiches at the counter, talking softly between themselves. 

“Weiss,” James said softly. 

“Mr. Ironwood?” Weiss sat across from him, glancing at Ruby.

“So the unfortunate news,” Raven said, sitting beside Ruby, “is that we don’t have a guest room set up. The good news is that James does, and he has your sister’s phone number and address.”

“You’ve seen Winter?” Weiss asked.

James nodded, setting his phone on the table. “She was discharged a few months ago,” he said. “She has an apartment in Vale. She’s talked to me about getting you and Whitley away from Jacques.”

Weiss blinked, scanning their expressions. James with gentle kindness in his smile, Qrow with his warm red eyes, Ruby with her red cape wrapped right around her and worry frank in her silver eyes, Raven with an arm around Ruby and weary anxiety in her tapping foot and twitching fingers. Summer, in the last seat, was frowning at her phone until Weiss looked at her. She gave her a kind, sympathetic smile, setting her phone facedown.

“And my mother?” Weiss asked.

“Willow isn’t in the best position to ask for custody,” Summer said. “But if we argue for Winter to have primary custody with child support from Jacques and Willow, it’ll get you and Whitley to a safe place.” She tapped her phone a few times, continued, “Winter can testify to Jacques’ demeanor the same way you can testify to him hurting you. Unfortunately, with Willow’s… habits, it’s not likely that a judge will give her primary custody.”

“Best bet is Jacques will settle,” James said. “With the criticism Schnee Tech faced when he disowned Winter, a divorce would ruin him.”

“The knowledge that he mistreats his children should ruin him,” Raven growled. 

“You’d be surprised what money lets people get away with,” Tai said, setting plates of sandwiches on the table. “What I want to know is what we’re going to do about school tomorrow.”

“I can take Weiss to meet Winter tomorrow,” James said. “I hate to say it, but if she goes to school, Jacques may pick her up from there.”

“I’d rather not see him,” Weiss mumbled. 

“We’re going to do our best to keep you from seeing him,” Summer said. “But if you don’t mind, may I get you to compile some information for me about him?”

Weiss hesitated before nodding. “Whatever you need.”

“Let that wait until after we eat,” Tai said. He set a glass of juice in front of her with a sandwich on a plate. “It’ll be a long process, but you’re safe here.”

Weiss smiled at him. “Thank you. And… I’m sorry,” she said, “for intruding like this.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Qrow said. 

“You’re welcome here whenever, Weiss,” Raven said. She picked up a sandwich and started peeling off the crust. “Believe me, Qrow and I know better than anyone that a safe place is necessary, no matter what.”

“May I ask how you know that?” Weiss asked, her juice held between her hands.

Raven smiled at her, her mouth more a smirk than anything else. “Personal experience,” she said. “I’d rather leave it at that, if you don’t mind.”

Weiss nodded in understanding, her focus turned to the sandwich on her plate. Toasted bread, chicken, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Simple but filling and tasty, she ate it quickly, not realizing how hungry she was. 

Raven switched her attention to James, asking about Penny and Oscar. Qrow jumped in, grinning as James started telling a story. Weiss went quiet, listening as she ate. She felt Ruby nudge her foot and glanced at her with a soft smile. Her eye was sore and her stomach still had a pit in it, but slowly, she was starting to feel comfortable.

* * *

The Ironwood house is nearly identical to the STRQ house in its layout. Three bedrooms on the top floor with an en suite and a full bathroom, a kitchen, living room, dining room, half-bath, and office on the ground floor, and the large basement with a kitchenette and a full bathroom. 

The dining room, instead of an eating space, acted as a work area for Oscar and Penny with a pair of desks and chairs. Bookcases lined the walls, full of books that belonged to the three occupants. James had turned the basement into a guest room after adopting Penny and Oscar. He’d considered turning it into something else - a den or a game room, maybe a workshop or a studio for his and Oscar’s tinkering projects - but hadn’t gotten around to it. 

He was glad he hadn’t. Weiss was in the passenger seat with a book in her lap, one Ruby had lent her the previous night. Raven had dropped by before work to fix Weiss with a new bandage over her eye. James could have done it himself, but Weiss relaxed when Raven showed up. It was the gentlest he’d ever seen Raven, who always had a smirk and a sarcastic quip when he’d seen her. Around him, she was teasing and sharp. Around Weiss, she was calm, her hands gentle and words firm, always with a steady, even tone as she spoke. By the time Raven left, the tension in Weiss’s shoulders had dissipated considerably, enough so that she turned her focus from listening to the house around her to reading the book from Ruby.

Now, in the coffeeshop, he could see her shoulders tightening as she watched every person walk past, eyes darting to the door every time it swung open. The new bandage was smaller, only covering half her eye, but she kept it shut all the same. She’d picked the seat that kept her blind side against the wall, where she didn’t have to turn to look for anyone coming up on her left.

“Weiss?”

She sat up straight at Winter’s voice. James turned in time to see Winter step past him and hug Weiss as soon as she stood. He smiled softly, nodding to Winter when she sat at the free end of the table. A waiter took their orders, bringing them their drinks after a few minutes. Winter stared at her tea as Weiss nursed her coffee, both mulling over the information James had imparted.

“Mother won’t be likely to get custody,” Winter said, “and Father’s lawyers will do their best to discredit all of us.”

“Mother’s lawyer is my friend’s mom,” Weiss said, turning her cup by the handle. “She has photos of my eye for evidence, but she mentioned testimonies.”

“What’s her name?” Winter asked. She set her tea down to pull out her phone.

“Summer Rose,” James supplied. “She worked at the Patch branch of Ozpin Partners.”

Winter raised an eyebrow, not looking away from her phone. “Ozpin,” she murmured. “Very progressive for a law firm.”

James nodded, explaining to Weiss, “Ozpin is an old friend of mine. They’re nonbinary and a number of their employees are part of the LGBT community.”

“Father’s lawyers will use that against them,” Winter said, shaking her head. “There’s not much information about Summer Rose on here besides her credentials.”

“That’s not surprising,” Weiss snorted. 

“Oh?” Winter set her phone down, looking at Weiss. 

Weiss faltered, glancing at James. The dynamic of Ruby’s family wasn’t easy to explain and from what she remembered of Winter growing up, she wasn’t as forward thinking as Weiss would have liked.

“Mrs. Rose keeps her family and work lives as separate as she can,” James said. “Her family isn’t the most conventional, to put it simply.”

Winter kept her hands laced together around her tea, looking from Weiss to James. Her expression was as neutral as ever, though he could see wariness and distrust forming behind her eyes.

“She has two partners,” James explained quietly. “Taiyang and Raven. The three of them have two daughters, Yang and Ruby, and they live with Raven’s twin brother, Qrow.”

“Ruby is my friend, the one Father told me to stop associating with. He did this,” Weiss said, waving to her bandaged eye, “because I went to Beacon’s homecoming with her.”

“A date?” Winter asked. Weiss hesitated before she saw the small quirk of a grin on Winter’s face.

“Yes, it was,” Weiss said. “Though I didn’t tell Father that.”

“I wasn’t aware you liked girls.” Winter looked at her tea, taking a long sip.

“I’m not sure who I like,” Weiss said, “but I like Ruby. She doesn’t care that I’m a Schnee - she likes me for _me,_ not my name.”

“A good quality in a friend or a partner.” Winter looked at James. “Do you know when Mother will be meeting with Mrs. Rose?”

“They’re meeting at her home office this evening,” James said. “Summer told me you’re welcome to stop by. She was likely to contact you eventually as it is.”

Winter nodded. “I have some questions and concerns,” she said. “But I think they can wait. Tell me more about Ruby.”

James snorted as Weiss went pink. Winter leaned forward, the look on her face similar to Raven’s when she was getting ready to tease Qrow. It seemed to James that whatever views Jacques had tried to impart on the pair didn’t hold up if it meant being cruel to each other. Sitting back with his own coffee, he felt a flicker of warmth and pride at the fact.

* * *

Summer looked from the papers on her desk to the files on her computer to Willow Schnee, sitting across from her with a cup of tea. She’d invited Willow for a home meeting, guessing that Jacques would find out if she went to the city’s office, and Willow had brought supporting evidence of abuse in spades. 

Personal journal entries, detailing Willow’s daily activities. Footage from cameras, hidden in every room of the house. The videos would be their strongest claims, but Summer wished she hadn’t watched them.

Jacques hitting Weiss. Jacques shouting at Whitley. Willow and Jacques screaming at each other.

It made her wish she had a drink. She could understand Willow turning to drink, at least. But they’d gotten rid of all the alcohol in the house when Qrow went sober, and the last thing she needed was to lose her clear head.

“This is a good start,” she said aloud, organizing the papers and tucking them into a folder she’d neatly labeled ‘Schnee, W.’ “I’m back in the main office tomorrow and can go over things with Oz and Saphron. In the mean time, you may want to consider finding a place to stay away from your husband.”

Willow looked at the tea in her mug, a faraway look in her eye. “I doubt Whitley would leave with me,” she said simply. “He’s begun taking after his father.”

“There are different responses to trauma,” Summer said gently. “Typically, people talk about fight or flight, but there are also fawning and freezing. I can give you a reference to a few good therapists in the city.”

She heard a door open in the house and paused to listen for a second. Yang and Ruby’s voices drifted through the house, loud enough for her to make out the tones, quiet enough that she couldn’t hear the words. 

“Your children, I assume?” Willow asked without looking up.

“My daughters,” Summer confirmed. “They know not to come in if the door is shut, though.”

“Your surname is Rose.” Willow looked at her. “Your daughter is Ruby, right? Weiss’s friend.”

Summer nodded. “Weiss came here yesterday after her… altercation… with Jacques.”

“Yes, I remember.” She set her tea on the edge of Summer’s desk. “Weiss is staying with James Ironwood next door, you said. Not here?”

Summer smiled softly. “We don’t have a guest room,” she said, “but James offered his. He told me he could put her in contact with her older sister, Winter. I think they went to meet her today.”

“Winter left for the military,” Willow said. “She sent me a letter when she was discharged. I don’t believe she wants contact with me or her father.”

“Maybe not,” Summer said, “but she does worry about her siblings.”

Willow was quiet for a while, letting Summer type on her computer. She had carefully organized folders for all of her cases and the USB drive Willow had brought with the camera footage all went into its own folder. She held up the drive once she was done. 

“May I hold onto this?” she asked. 

“Go ahead,” Willow said, waving a hand. “I have the files backed up elsewhere.”

Summer dropped the drive beside her file. She’d label it later. She heard a knock on the door and the sound of Ruby thumping down the stairs to answer it. Muffled by the walls, she heard, “Weiss! Mr. Ironwood! And - uh - oh, is this your sister?”

Willow lifted her head and Summer stood up. “If you don’t want to see them, I can ask them to wait,” she said.

“No, it’s fine.” Willow picked up her purse and followed Summer. “I need to see them.”

Ruby had shepherded them to the kitchen and was making coffee as she chattered at Weiss about school. Winter was sitting at the counter, her legs crossed as she listened, watching Ruby bounce around the kitchen. Weiss was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed and a soft smile as she listened to Ruby. Qrow had shown up at some point and was talking to James in the living room.

“Mom! Coffee?” Ruby asked when she stepped in the kitchen.

Summer nodded, ruffling Ruby’s hair. “You must be Winter,” she said, offering a hand. “I’m Summer Rose.”

“A pleasure,” Winter said, shaking her hand. She saw Winter in the doorway and stood up. “Mother.”

“Winter,” Willow said. She looked at Weiss, blinking at her. “Weiss.”

“Mother?” Weiss asked, stepping forward. Willow reached out a hand, stopping short of Weiss’s face.

“If you want some privacy, you can use my office,” Summer said. Winter nodded, following Willow, but Weiss hesitated.

“Weiss?” Winter looked at her.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” she said. “You wanted to talk to Mother alone, you said?”

Winter nodded, closing the office door behind her. Weiss sighed, looking at Ruby. Summer had an arm around her in a hug and she was stuck, once again, by how similar the pair looked. She knew from pictures that she and Winter had their father’s facial structure and their mother’s eyes, but Ruby looked like a carbon copy of Summer, the sole difference lying in the length and style of their hair and the lines around Summer’s eyes. 

“How’s your eye feel?” Summer asked. 

“Sore,” Weiss said. “Although yesterday it mostly stung, so I suppose that’s an improvement.”

“Raven likes to keep a special sort of antibiotic ointment that has painkillers in it,” Summer said. “It’s a bit harder to find than Neosporin but it works better.”

“Can’t say it’ll help much with scarring,” Qrow said, leaning against the counter. 

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” Weiss said. “I can’t open it without tearing the scab.”

“I still think we should get you to a doctor,” James said. He looked at Summer, worry etched across his features. “I’m not doubting Raven’s ability to patch her up, but I’m worried about the possibility of loss of vision.”

Summer frowned. “Any doctor she sees will have to file a CPS report,” she mused. “We could spin that in our favor, but we’d have to find a doctor that won’t advise pulling her into separate custody.”

“If Winter takes her, she can say that Weiss is going to stay with her now that their father isn’t stable,” Qrow said. 

“What about the insurance payout?” Ruby asked, making the adults blink. “Once Jacques gets a bill for stitches, he might follow that to find Weiss and Winter.”

The adults blinked at Ruby, who balked and looked at Weiss, who wore the same look of surprise. 

“What?” she asked. “I know some things.”

“I think I may know a doctor who’ll do it without reporting it,” James said. “He volunteers at a free clinic in the city pretty regularly. I can send him a message later.”

“Are you sure?” Qrow asked. “If Weiss is pulled into state custody, it’ll make everything a lot harder.”

“I’m certain,” James said. “He’s an old friend from when I was in the military.”

Ruby tilted her head. “You were in the military?” she asked. 

“For twenty years,” he said. 

“What he did in the military is still classified,” Winter said, coming through the doorway. “Weiss?”

“Coming.” Weiss followed her into the office, faltering slightly when she saw her mother leaning against Summer’s desk. Winter stood between them, a steady barrier. 

“You don’t want to come home, do you?” Willow asked.

Weiss frowned, eyes narrowed and jaw set as she shook her head. “No,” she said frankly. 

Willow smiled. “Good.” She held out a file folder to Weiss. “Since you’re staying with James, you may want to consider changing schools.”

“Alsius is a highly regarded school,” Winter said. 

“Yes, it is,” Willow said. “But your father is able to reach you there. It may be better to put more distance between you and him.”

Weiss looked at the papers - birth certificate, social security card, transcripts, report cards. “What about Whitley?” she asked. 

“Let me worry about Whitley.” Willow put her purse on her shoulder, holding the straps tight in her hands. “Worry about yourself for now, dear.”

Weiss looked at the papers, bidding her mother farewell when she left. Winter went to talk to James while she went into the kitchen, sitting beside Ruby.

“What’s that?” Ruby asked, perching her chin on Weiss’s shoulder.

“Any documents I need to enroll at a different high school.” She set the folder on the table, leaning into Ruby.`”I suppose if I’m staying with Mr. Ironwood, I’d have to enroll at Beacon.”

“Beacon isn’t as fancy as Alsius but it’s still pretty decent,” Ruby said. “But aren’t you worried about jumping the gun?”

Weiss shook her head. “Honestly, I haven’t made any friends at Alsius in all the time I’ve gone there,” she said. “It’s just school and fencing there. I’d like to make friends before college.”

“Well, you’ve got me,” Ruby said. “And Yang and Penny and Oscar and Blake, too.”

“That’s about a 500% increase from what I have at Alsius.” 

Ruby hummed, bumping her foot against Weiss’s. “Sounds like a good enough reason to me.”

Weiss shrugged, leaning back. Ruby settled back with her, an arm around her waist and her head against Weiss’s shoulder. Weiss accepted the affection, both hands flat on the table in front of her. She knew she had to make a lot of decisions - where to stay, what school to go to, what to tell the lawyers when they inevitably asked for her testimonial. 

But for now, she didn’t have to choose anything except whether to accept Ruby’s affection. 

So she took the affection. It was the easiest decision to make and she’d revel in the simplicity as long as she could.

_“Tomorrow is another day_

_And when the night fades away_

_You’ll be a man, boy_

_But for now, it’s time to run, it’s time to run.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took way longer than I expected. I almost cut it into two chapters but I wanted to include Winter and Willow and I didn't want to split Weiss across more chapters, so this chapter is about 6.5k while most of the others are under 4k. Oops.  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Especially on longer chapters that took two weeks to write. Tell me what you think!


	11. Rapture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Ruby's track meet at Signal. Yang can't attend this one, but Weiss is happy to take her place and meet Ruby's old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Rapture by Ok Goodnight  
> tw: homophobia, ableism, racism

_“It falls upon a sleeping crowd_

_A haze of grey, I cannot see around it anymore_

_A secret in suspicious air_

_That whispers to me_

_"Do you know what they live for?””_

Blake was used to her routine. Drive Penny and Oscar to school, park beside Yang’s bike, sit with Yang in first block, meet her in the library for lunch, wait with her beside Penny’s locker after seventh block, go home, and open her window to chat with Yang while they did homework at their desks. 

The first thing she saw on Wednesday morning was Oscar and Penny in her driveway with - Weiss Schnee, with an eyepatch over her left eye and a plain blue backpack on her shoulders.

“Good morning, Blake,” Penny said. 

“Morning, Penny.” She raised an eyebrow at Weiss. “Need a ride to Alsius?”

Weiss smiled thinly. “I transferred to Beacon yesterday,” she said, “since I’m staying with the Ironwoods for the foreseeable future. Mr. Ironwood told me you normally drive Penny and Oscar and wouldn’t mind if I was added in.”

She didn’t mind, though James had forgotten to warn her. She knew from Yang that Weiss had run away from home and Summer was helping her mother file for divorce, but she wasn’t made privy to much more information. In all the activity of the two houses, she couldn’t be bothered to begrudge him for forgetting.

“Not at all,” Blake said, unlocking her car. Penny and Oscar slid into the back seat, letting Weiss take the passenger seat. “Do you have a music preference?”

“Not really,” Weiss said. She looked at Blake’s phone when she put it on the dashboard mount, watching her scroll through her Spotify list to a Fall Out Boy album. The volume was loud enough to hear but low enough to keep from being oppressive. Oscar and Penny weren’t very chatty in the morning and Blake wasn’t much of a talker herself, but Weiss seemed glad for the quiet. She was scanning a colored sheet of paper that Blake guessed was her schedule.

“Who do you have for first block?” Blake asked. “I can walk you there.”

“Peach,” Weiss said. “You don’t have to, I’m sure I can find my way around.”

Blake flicked an ear. “Peach is my first block, too,” she said. “Yang’s, too. So showing you there isn’t any trouble.”

Weiss blinked, looking at her. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “So what can you tell me about Peach?”

“She’s pretty relaxed,” Blake said. “Lots of essays and analysis since it’s AP Lang, and almost all of them are timed, but it’s manageable.”

Yang and Ruby were already waiting by the bike when Blake pulled into her space. Ruby immediately bounced over to Weiss, looking over her shoulder at Weiss’s schedule.

“Oh, we should have the same lunch block,” Ruby said, putting her helmet under her arm. “All the history classes have the same lunch.”

“Who’s your first block?” Yang asked, locking her hands behind her head.

“Peach,” Weiss replied. 

“Sweet, you can sit with me and Blake,” Yang said. “There’s a free desk in our row. Ruby, give me your helmet, I can stick it in my locker.”

Ruby let Yang take it, looking at Weiss. “I’ll find you at lunch and you can tell me how your classes are. See you later, Weiss!” She waved, darting after Penny and Oscar. 

Weiss snorted, falling into step beside Yang, who took her schedule. 

“Same math class as us,” Yang said, “and you’re in my Chem class. You can partner up with me and Pyrrha, we have a free spot at our lab table.”

Weiss blinked, looking at Yang. “Are you sure?”

Yang looked at her and frowned at her doubtful expression. “I know you’re worried about a lot,” Yang said, “but you’re smart and Pyrrha spoke well of you after your fencing match.”

“I can’t exactly see all that well,” Weiss mumbled.

“Temporarily,” Yang said optimistically. “And Pyrrha and I can see well enough to help you with what you can’t see.”

Weiss hummed. She flinched when someone brushed against her left side, jerking away and bumping into Yang.

“My bad!” Weiss blinked at Neon, who spun to stand in front of her, her tail waving behind her. “Hey, you’re Weiss Schnee. I thought you went to Alsius across town.”

“I just transferred here,” Weiss said. “First day.”

“Oh, fun!” Neon grinned at her, tilting her head slightly. “Is your eye okay?”

“It’s fine,” she said stiffly. 

“If you say so.” Neon shrugged, looking at Yang. “Are you coming to the track meet tonight at Signal?”

“Blake and I have plans tonight,” Yang said, “but our Uncle and parents are definitely going.”

“What about you, Weiss?” Neon asked, turning back to her with a smirk. “You and Ruby were pretty close at homecoming. Gonna come out and cheer her on?”

Weiss spluttered, face going red. Neon laughed and waved, running off to join Flynt without waiting for Weiss’s answer. Blake snorted, lifting a hand to cover her mouth.

“Neon can be a bit much,” Blake admitted. “Though she has a point, you and Ruby _are_ pretty close.”

Weiss rubbed her neck nervously, looking at her shoes as they walked through the halls.

“If you want to go, Mama and Qrow would gladly give you a ride,” Yang said. “Ruby would definitely like it if you went to her meet.”

“You really aren’t going?” Weiss asked. “I thought you went to Signal before Beacon.”

“Honestly,” Yang said, playing with her hair, “I _can’t_ go to this meet. It’s a long story, but there are some extenuating circumstances from last school year.”

Weiss frowned, looking at Blake. Blake shrugged.

“I take it you’d rather not say why,” Weiss said, sitting at the desk Yang waved to in the back row.

“Nope,” Yang chirped. She sank in her seat a little, between Blake and Weiss. “It’s a long story and I’m still… it’s been almost six months and I’m still coming to terms with it. Maybe one day I’ll talk about it, but…”

“There’s no rush,” Weiss said, turning to look at Peach sitting at the desk in the front of the room. “Gods know I have things I don’t want to talk about.”

With Yang and Blake on her blind side, she couldn’t see them smile at each other. She took the lack of response as an agreement and focused on Peach, her curiosity about Yang’s history pushed from her mind.

Weiss was glad that Ruby found her before lunch. Each class prior one of the other students had offered to walk her to her next class but she was nervous about looking for Ruby in the cafeteria.

“I usually eat with Oscar and Jaune,” Ruby said, “but Oscar is taking a test and Jaune is with Pyrrha doing… something, I don’t know what.”

Weiss paused, looking through the windows to the library as they walked. “Are we allowed to eat in there?” she asked, pointing at one of the tables. “It’d be less crowded than the cafeteria.”

“You’re not one for crowds?” Ruby asked as she followed Weiss to the table in question. 

“I don’t like people coming up on my left,” Weiss said, sitting with her back to the library door. “The cafeteria is a bit too full for people to not startle me.”

“Fair enough.” Ruby dumped her lunch out of her bag, sorting through the items and offering Weiss a cookie. “Mom always gives me extra to share.”

Weiss accepted the cookie, spreading out the lunch James had sent with her. “I ran into one of your track teammates,” she said, “Neon? She said you have an away meet at Signal tonight?”

“Yep!” Ruby held her sandwich between her hands, pulling off the crust carefully. “It’s…”

“She mentioned you and Yang were from Patch,” Weiss said when Ruby went quiet, “but Yang didn’t want to say why you left.”

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Ruby said. “It wasn’t one we wanted to make, either, but there were…”

“Extenuating circumstances?” Weiss asked. Ruby nodded and Weiss looked at the food laid out between them. “Maybe it wasn’t a good thing to go through, whatever happened, but…” She paused and set her hand on Ruby’s, smiling at her when she looked up. “I’m glad it let me meet you.”

Ruby smiled at her. “I guess there’s always a bright side,” she said. “Hey, you should come to the track meet tonight! You can see what Patch is like.”

“If it’s not intrusive I’d like to go,” Weiss said. “I liked watching your last meet.”

“I can text Mom and Mr. Ironwood.” Ruby pulled her phone out, tapping quickly. “A couple of my old friends have already told me they’re gonna watch it so they’ll probably meet you in the stands.”

“So they could tell me stories about you and Yang?” Weiss asked, smirking. 

Ruby groaned, flopping onto the table. “Everyone wants to tease me,” she whined. “You and Fox are gonna get on like a house on fire, I just know it.”

Weiss laughed. “We haven’t shared many personal stories with each other,” she said. “I want to know more about you.”

“You can always just ask,” Ruby pointed out. “There’s not much I won’t tell you.”

“I know,” Weiss said. “But I don’t know what to ask or where to start. Your old friends might be able to give me some pointers.”

“That’s fair.” Ruby propped her head on her hand. “Though I don’t know who to ask for stories about you.”

“There aren’t many people you can ask about me, honestly.” Weiss looked at her half-eaten sandwich. “Oscar and Penny might have some stories from when we were younger, but that’s about it.”

“Well, Fox and Coco definitely have a lot of stories about me,” Ruby said. “Yang, too. We’ve been friends since elementary school.”

“Are they freshmen?” 

“Seniors.” Ruby chewed her cookie methodically. 

Weiss raised a delicate eyebrow. “They didn’t mind that you’re younger?”

“Nope.” Ruby smiled, fond and nostalgic. “Our friend Velvet lived down the street from us and introduced us to Coco and Fox and Yatsu. She didn’t mind that Yang was younger or that I always wanted to tag along.”

Weiss hummed. “At my elementary school, people only hung out with the kids in their own grade.”

“A lot of kids on Patch were like that, too,” Ruby said. “But Velvet didn’t care, so neither did the others.”

Weiss watched Ruby’s expression cross from nostalgic to sad. “At least you get to see them tonight,” she said. “Who’ll be there that I can watch for?”

“Just Fox and Coco,” Ruby said. “Yatsu moved to Mistral a few years ago and Velvet moved to Menagerie right before we moved here.”

Weiss blinked. “Velvet is a Faunus?”

Ruby started, looking at Weiss. “Huh? Oh, yeah, she has rabbit ears. A lot of kids would make fun of her for them so I think she was fine with me and Yang hanging out with her since we didn’t pick on her for them.” She paused, tilting her head. “You… you have problems. With the Faunus?”

Weiss hesitated, wringing her hands on the desk. “It’s… I don’t personally care if someone is a Faunus,” she said, trying to organize her thoughts. “But my Father raised us to be wary of the Faunus, acting like all they ever did was lie and cheat and steal. I’m trying to unlearn it and be more open-minded but I guess I’m not doing too well.”

Ruby crossed her arms on the table. “Velvet would talk a lot about Faunus rights,” she said quietly. “She always said it was ingrained in society for systemic racism and oppression. Unlearning it and being aware of it around you is a constant process, but Mama said something once: What you think first is what you were conditioned to think, what you think second is what you _actually_ think.”

“So I need to keep an open mind and think before I act,” Weiss murmured.

“Yep!” Ruby chirped. After a moment, she added, “And don’t focus too hard on someone’s Faunus trait, it’s kinda rude to stare.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “I know _that,”_ she huffed, looking at the table. “Did I stare at Blake’s ears too long?”

“Maybe a smidge, but she does have them pierced, so I’m not sure you can be blamed for that.” Ruby gathered up their trash, shoving it in her empty chip bag. “It’s kind of like someone with a prosthetic or a service dog, it draws the eye but you’re not _supposed_ to focus on it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The bell rang and Ruby jumped up, tossing out the trash and offering to walk Weiss to her class. 

“Ruby?” Weiss said quietly, pausing outside the door. “Thank you.”

Ruby smiled at her. “Anytime, Weiss.”

* * *

The island of Patch laid beyond Vale’s coastline, connected to the mainland by a long bridge. It was large enough for a main town with a tourist center, but still small enough that Signal Academy was the only high school for the island, serving about twelve hundred students at a time, not even half of what Beacon had. 

Compared to Alsius’ three hundred students for kindergarten through twelfth grade, Weiss felt almost anonymous in either.

“So how was your first day at Beacon?” Qrow asked her when they sat in the bleachers. “Bit different from what you’re used to?”

“A bit,” Weiss said. She could see Tai chatting with some of the Signal teachers and knew that Raven and Summer were at the concession stand, but Ruby and the rest of the track team were still in the locker rooms. “No one was rude, at least.”

Qrow raised an eyebrow. “You expected questions about your eye?”

“My eye, my family, ethics, why I transferred,” Weiss said, counting off with her fingers. “No one asked, though.”

“Did you get to your classes alright?” Qrow leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, watching the small crowd move around. Friends greeting each other, families rounding up their kids, people sharing food or eating their own. A few waved at him but didn’t move to start conversations.

“Someone showed me to my next class at the end of each block,” she replied. She looked at her hands in her lap, rubbing the ring on her right hand. 

“No new friends yet, I’m guessing?” Qrow looked at her and she was surprised at how genuinely interested he seemed. He’d sat in the backseat with her on the ride from Vale and pointed out landmarks to her, carrying the conversation easily enough himself.

“No,” she sighed. “But Yang and Blake are in my English and math classes, and Yang let me join her table in chemistry with Pyrrha, so that’s something, I guess.”

“Well,” Qrow said, sitting up and wincing when his back popped, “it’s only the first day. Did you sit with any of them at lunch?”

Weiss shook her head. “Ruby and I ate in the library.”

“Just like Yang,” Qrow said. At Weiss’s tilted head, he explained, “She and Blake always eat lunch in the library. Ruby normally eats with Oscar and Jaune in the cafeteria.” He grinned at Weiss and winked. “I guess she prefers your company.”

Weiss blushed and was saved from further teasing when Raven hit him on the head with a water bottle.

“Look who we found!” Summer said, gesturing to the teenagers behind her. “Weiss, this is Fox Alistair and Coco Adel. Guys, this is Weiss Schnee, she’s -”

“Ruby’s friend,” Coco said, tilting her sunglasses down to look at her. “Nice to meet you.”

Fox frowned. “Someone tell me where to sit,” he huffed. Coco rolled her eyes and guided him to the seat next to Weiss.

“Don’t mind him,” Coco said. “He broke his cane earlier and doesn’t have a replacement.”

“I had one,” Fox said, “but you made me leave it.”

“It was a tree branch,” Coco said flatly. “It was covered in dirt and bugs, and you wouldn’t let me give you a walking stick to use, so here we are.”

“Cane?” Weiss asked.

Fox turned to her, taking off his sunglasses to reveal white eyes. Weiss blinked in surprise.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

Fox shrugged and put his sunglasses back on. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “So is Ruby on the field yet?”

“Not yet,” Coco said. “The teams are still in the locker rooms.”

“Who are we sitting with?” Fox asked. “Besides Weiss and Mrs. Rose?”

“Qrow is next to Weiss,” Coco said. “Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Branwen are in front of us. Mr. Xiao Long is talking to Goodwitch with a couple other Beacon teachers.”

“Dr. Oobleck and Mr. Port,” Weiss supplied. “Oobleck is Beacon’s track coach.”

“Is Xiao Long a track coach now?” Fox asked.

“Just a chaperone with Port,” Qrow said. “Here come the teams.”

Weiss perked up, finding Ruby in the crowd easily. She was with Neon and Sun, listening to Sun tell a story before she spotted them in the stands and waved.

Weiss had only been to one track meet before and didn’t remember much about the structure, but Coco and Fox didn’t know much about track either, it turned out. Summer answered Coco’s questions easily and Weiss was envious of how easy it was for Coco to talk to them. 

Qrow bumped her shoulder with his own, nodding to the field. “Ruby’s up,” he said. “Fox, you want the play by play?”

“Let me guess,” he said, crossing his arms, “she’s going to run straight, turn left, run straight, turn left, straight, left, straight, left-”

“ _Or_ we could tell you who’s in the lead and who’s coming up on them,” Coco said. “She’s racing Reese and Dew and a girl from Beacon.”

“Neon,” Weiss supplied. 

A bang sounded and the race started, Coco telling Fox who was in the lead. It was between Ruby and Reese until the end, when Ruby put on a burst of speed that gave her the win. Qrow whooped and Fox clapped, smiling.

“So, Weiss,” Coco said, leaning back to look at her behind Fox. “How did you meet Ruby?”

“Bookstore,” Weiss said. “She almost knocked me over.”

“She’s always been one to move a bit faster than needed,” Fox mused. 

“I’d hoped she’d learned better,” Coco said, leaning forward with her ankles crossed, “especially after knocking down stacks in the library three different times.”

“If she didn’t learn to slow down after the first time,” Fox said, “why would she learn after the third?”

“Three times?” Weiss asked.

“To be fair, the third time wasn’t an accident,” Coco said with a smirk. “She did that to knock them onto Cardin.”

“An old classmate?” Weiss asked.

“He deserved it,” Fox said, tapping his fingers on his knees.

To Weiss, Coco explained, “Cardin had tripped Fox a few times that week and kept pulling Velvet’s ears when the teachers weren’t looking.”

“That’s rude,” Weiss sniffed.

“He’s still rude,” Fox growled. “He’s gotten bolder now that Yang and Ruby are gone.”

Coco swatted his shoulder. “It’s not their fault,” she hissed. 

“So Winchester is still giving you trouble?” Raven asked, leaning back to look at them.

“He’s gotten bolder now that he knows his daddy’s money can get him out of anything,” Fox said. 

“He hasn’t tried following us anywhere, so the less attention we draw outside of school, the better,” Coco said.

Weiss looked between Coco and Raven, confused. Qrow put a hand on her shoulder, whispering, “It’s a long story. I take it Ruby and Yang haven’t told you what happened?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Nor Blake.”

“Yang’s always been one to keep her problems to herself,” Coco said. “And Ruby considers it Yang’s story to tell.”

“Bullshit,” Fox snapped. “It’s all our story.”

“Fox,” Summer said, setting a gentle hand on his knee, “Yang has kept it to herself because she doesn’t want people at Beacon to get the wrong idea.”

Fox sighed. “Sorry, Mrs. Rose,” he mumbled. 

“It’s okay to be angry,” Raven said. She flexed her fingers a few times, popping her knuckles before balling her hand into a fist. “We’re all angry, in some way. But don’t let your emotions make your decisions for you, kid.”

Fox grunted and Coco put an arm around him, her head on his shoulder. Quietly, she whispered, “Letting anger take control is what started this mess. Don’t make it worse.”

Weiss shifted uncomfortably. She could tell that Coco had meant the words for Fox and Fox alone, but it didn’t stop her from hearing them. Convention and manners stopped her from asking, but it didn’t stop her wondering what had happened with Cardin and Yang.

* * *

After her last race, Ruby split off from the other students and found her family in the stands. She grinned when she saw Coco and Fox talking to Weiss in the concession stand line and started through the gate to them when someone shoulder-checked her, sending her sprawling.

“Well, would you look at that? The little red runt has come crawling back.”

Ruby scowled at Cardin’s voice, brushing the dust off of her as she got up. Nose in the air, she turned on her heel, not bothering to look at him.

“What’s wrong little red?” he called after her, following her. “That’s no way to treat an old friend.”

Five feet from Weiss, she turned on her heel, glaring at him. “We’re not friends,” she said. “Leave me alone, Cardin.”

Cardin whistled, a hand on his chest. “The rose has thorns, how _cute,”_ he simpered, looking past Ruby at Coco, Fox, and Weiss. “And she’s found the island of misfit toys.”

“Fuck off, Winchester,” Fox snapped. He tried to reach out but Coco held his wrist in a firm grip.

“Make me, crip,” Cardin growled. He looked at Weiss. “Another cripple? I guess you’re starting a club to make yourself feel better.”

Weiss glared at him. “I don’t know who you are,” she said sharply, “but I advise you to leave us alone.”

“Or what, snowflake? It’s not like any of you are going to do shit to me,” Cardin replied, jeering and challenging with a cocky glint in his eye.

“Ignore him,” Coco said, tugging on Weiss’s ponytail. “He’s not worth it.”

Ruby huffed, turning from Cardin to Weiss. “How do you like Patch?” she asked, pretending Cardin didn’t exist as she took Weiss’s hand. It was shaking, Weiss noticed.

“It’s very pretty,” she said. “A lot more woodsy than Vale, for certain.”

“There are a lot of hiking trails through the woods around here,” Coco said. She still held Fox’s wrist, though her grip had loosened. “You should come out some weekend, they’re nice this time of year.”

Cardin, still behind them, let out a dry huffing laugh. “If you want to fall off a cliff,” he muttered, “and do the rest of us a favor.”

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Weiss snapped, spinning on her heel with her hands on her hips. 

“The world would be better without dykes and crips,” Cardin said.

“And I think the world would be better without bigots like you in it,” Fox growled, “but we can’t always get what we want.”

Weiss kept her glare leveled at Cardin, like she wasn’t half-blind and almost a foot shorter than him. Ruby squeezed her hand, but she didn’t back down.

“Leave us alone,” she said, voice low. “Now.”

“Did I hit a nerve, _dyke?”_ Cardin leaned forward - and jerked back when Qrow put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from Weiss.

“They asked you nicely,” he said, “so buzz off, kid.”

“You can’t talk to me like-”

“I can and I _will_ talk to you how I see fit,” Qrow snapped, stepping between Cardin and Weiss. Cardin scowled at Qrow but backed off, going back into the crowd. Ruby squeezed Weiss’s hand again, looking at Coco and Fox. Coco had released Fox’s wrist and had her arms crossed, foot tapping as she watched him stalk away.

“I don’t like him,” Weiss said. 

“None of us do,” Qrow said. He ruffled Ruby’s hair fondly. “You okay?”

“I wish Yang were here,” she murmured. 

“It’s a good thing Yang _isn’t_ here,” Coco said. “She’d have broken Cardin’s nose.” 

“I’m tempted to say he’d deserve it if she did,” Qrow said, “but you were right to not engage and try to ignore him.”

“I still don’t like him,” Weiss murmured, catching Ruby’s attention. 

Coco looked at them, tipping her sunglasses down her nose and raising an eyebrow. “Ruby,” she said, grinning widely, “when were you gonna tell us?”

Ruby and Weiss both blushed bright red, but didn’t let go of each other’s hands. 

“It’s recent,” Ruby said, running a hand through her hair. 

“What’s recent?” Fox asked.

“Ruby is holding Weiss’s hand,” Coco said conspiratorially. 

Fox put a hand over his heart, fake sniffling. “They grow up so fast,” he said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. 

“Ugh, you’re the worst!” Ruby said, releasing Weiss’s hand to push Fox’s shoulder.

He laughed and pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair. “Soon enough you’ll be applying to college and where will the time have gone? Oh, the passage of time! We’re getting older! Where has it gone?!”

Qrow shook his head at them while Coco and Weiss laughed, Ruby still trapped against Fox. She scrabbled at his arms weakly, not really trying to get away from him.

“So you ran all your races?” Qrow asked Ruby.

“Yep!” She grinned at him, ducking out of Fox’s hold to bounce on her toes. “Won ‘em all, too.” 

“Keep it up and you could get a track scholarship to Vale,” Coco said, ruffling her hair. 

“Now that you mention it, how’s the application process going?” Qrow asked her.

With Qrow talking to Coco and Fox about applications, Ruby shifted to Weiss, bumping her shoulder. “Don’t worry too much,” she murmured. “Coco and Uncle Qrow wouldn’t let him do anything, and there are a lot of people here.”

“It’s not that,” Weiss said, looking down with her arms crossed.

“The words he used?” Ruby asked. 

Weiss nodded, shifting uncomfortably as she and Ruby drifted away from the concessions line. “I’ve never really thought about my sexuality,” she admitted quietly, looking around nervously. They were standing by a fence, a safe distance from anyone who could hear them. “My father isn’t the most vocal about it, but he’s made it clear that he expects a high class marriage with connections that benefit the company, and being with a girl doesn’t fit that.”

“What do you want, Weiss?” Ruby asked, poking her arm. “You left home, you don’t have to conform to his ideals.”

“I…” Weiss paused, scuffing a foot on the ground. “I want a chance to be me. Without him watching my every move.”

Ruby smiled. “Well, you’ve got that down,” she said. “But can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“When you showed up on Sunday,” she said carefully, “it seemed like you were prepared to run away. Like you knew what you were doing.”

“None of that was a question,” Weiss pointed out. “But, if I’m being honest, I’ve thought about leaving before. For a while, now, since before we met. Since Winter left for the military, actually. This was just...”

“The last straw?”

“Yeah.” Weiss closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the fence. “I’ve been looking at ways to leave for a while. I thought I’d have to go for emancipation since, before I met you, I didn’t have anywhere to run away to. I haven’t tabled the idea yet, honestly.”

“Emancipation?” Ruby tilted her head, confused.

“Declaring myself an adult before I reach majority,” she explained. “It’d be hard - I’d have to be self-sufficient, financially, but I wouldn’t have any obligation to my mother or father.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’,” Ruby said, leaning against the fence with her arms crossed.

“ _But,_ I’d have to petition a family court with reasons as to why it’s in my best interest, prove I can take care of myself, and if they disagree, I could end up a ward of the state,” Weiss said, leaning beside her, close enough for their shoulders to brush. “Or they could find that it’d be in my _best interest_ to go back to my father and I’d never get out from under his thumb.”

Ruby frowned, looking at her feet. Weiss’s shoes were neat and clean, sensible boots with smooth leather, no cracks or scuffs. Her running shoes looked a world apart, dirt and mud caked into the fabric, the sole peeling away at the heel.

“Maybe emancipation isn’t the best option,” Ruby said. “You wouldn’t be able to be a full-time student and have a full-time job-”

“I could,” Weiss retorted.

“Not with time constraints and child labor laws.” Ruby smiled at Weiss’s surprised expression. “Yang and Blake have talked about applying places and every retailer and restaurant in the city have rules against giving minors full-time positions, especially during the school year. That leaves office jobs, which have hours during school, or, like, maintenance work, which I’m not sure you’re qualified for. No offense.”

Weiss blinked and sighed. “No, you’re right,” she said, looking down at her boots. “I’ve come to the same conclusion a million times but I keep trying to rework it in my head to make it possible.”

“Can I propose a plan?” Ruby asked. Weiss looked at her, but she was watching the runners go around the track, not looking at Weiss. “Focus on school. Mr. Ironwood offered you a place to stay, no strings attached, and when the divorce is finalized, he or Winter will probably be your primary guardian. You’ve always got a place with us, too, if you need it. You don’t need to strike out on your own just yet. Let the people who care about you take care of you.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Weiss said. She turned to watch the runners, focusing on Sun. His tail was curled behind his back, unlike Neon, who always let hers stream out behind her. He didn’t notice them as he ran, focused on his race.

“It is easy. You’re so focused on being independent you’re forgetting that you can rely on other people.”

Weiss snorted. “I haven’t really been able to rely on other people before now,” she said dryly.

Ruby chuckled, elbowing her arm lightly. “You’ve got us now,” she said softly. “We’ll catch you if you fall.”

“And what if I drag you down with me?”

“Then we brush ourselves off and get back up.” Ruby tugged on Weiss’s arm to link them at the elbow. “You’re not alone, Weiss.”

Weiss smiled at her, turning to hug Ruby, her face hidden in her shoulder. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Ruby hugged her back. “Anytime,” she whispered. With her head perched on Weiss’s shoulder, she could see the crowd and spotted Cardin glaring at her. She frowned, tightening her arms around Weiss.

She’d never liked Cardin. He had been a bully in elementary school, making fun of Velvet for being a Faunus, Fox for being blind, her and Yang for being half-sisters and half-Chinese. He’d only gotten worse as they’d grown up, especially after Yang and Coco came out, and she didn’t like how confident he was in being rude amidst the large crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Weiss asked, pulling away from Ruby.

“Cardin Winchester,” she said. “He’s always been a jerk but now I’m worried about Fox and Coco.”

“Fox seemed ready to fight,” Weiss said. Following Ruby’s gaze, she spotted Cardin across the way, standing alone on the other edge of the crowd. “I’m guessing there’s a lot of history between you guys.”

“He’s been a bully since elementary school,” Ruby said. “It’s only gotten worse and the fact that he’s confident enough to try and start a fight in the middle of a crowd at a school event makes me worry.”

“Why’s he here?” Weiss asked. 

“His friends are on the track team.” Ruby pointed at a boy with a green mohawk and another with long blue hair. “Russell is a sprinter and Sky does discus and shotput.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “It looks like Russell is about to start a fight,” she said dryly, pointing at Sun, whose tail was starting to flick and curl in annoyance.

“Argh, damn it,” Ruby muttered, sliding through the gate and running over. “Sun?”

“Ruby,” Sun said, glaring at Russell. “You’re sure you’re from Patch?”

“There’s a bad apple in every barrel, Sun,” Ruby said, gripping his arm when she saw Russell and Sky smirking at them. “Come on, over here.”

“Yeah, back off, animal!” Sky jeered.

“Go off with your handler!” Russell added.

“Sun, no,” Ruby said, trying to hold him back. 

“Ruby, let _go,”_ he growled, shaking her off.

“They’re not worth it!” Ruby said. She looked around desperately, but the teachers were on the other side of the track setting up the pole vault. She followed Sun, trying to wave at Neon, but she was talking to Dew and Reese, their backs to Ruby.

“Who brought the petting zoo?”

“Smells like shit!”

“Shut up!” Sun stopped a few feet in front of them, hands shaking in fists. 

“You don’t get to talk to us like that, _animal!”_ Russell spat, shoving Sun’s shoulders.

Sun snarled and slammed his fist into Russell’s nose. Sky moved forward to jump in and Ruby darted in front of him, shoving him away.

“Back off!” she shouted, her fists in front of her.

“Make me, runt,” Sky snarled, shoving her back. 

She stumbled and grit her teeth and slammed her open palm into his nose, the heel of her hand hitting his nostrils. He stumbled back, holding his bleeding nose.

“Bitch!” Sky spat, lunging and slamming into Tai, who’d stepped between them.

 _“Enough!”_ Tai pushed him back, eyes dark. “Lark, Thrush, off the track!”

“You can’t do that!” Russell shouted, cheek already bruising. 

“You don’t teach here!” Sky added, still holding his bloody nose.

“I do,” Goodwitch snapped, “and I want you both off the field. You two instigated the fight. You’re disqualified from all events and I’ll be writing up formal referrals. You can expect a call home _and_ a meeting with the principal in the morning.”

Sky and Russell traded looks, grumbling as they stalked away. Tai sighed, turning to Ruby, who was shaking. Goodwitch was talking to Sun, the boy rubbing his cheek where Russell had thrown his own punch.

“You okay, kiddo?” he asked gently, ruffling her hair.

“No,” she whispered, heat rising in her throat. “Why do they get to say things like that?”

“Poor parenting,” Sun grumbled, stopping beside Ruby. “Sorry for dragging you into that, Ruby.”

Ruby shook her head. “No, I should’ve warned you they were like that,” she murmured. “I should’ve waited here instead of finding Coco and Fox.”

Sun frowned and flicked Ruby’s forehead. “Stop blaming yourself,” he said. “It’s not your fault I lost my temper or that they’re dicks.”

“You still shouldn’t have retaliated,” Tai said. “But they did start that fight, physically and verbally. Glynda will attest to that.”

“My wrist hurts,” Ruby grumbled, rubbing it with a thumb.

“You could always ask Pyrrha to teach you how to fight,” Sun said. “Your form could definitely use some work.”

“I don’t plan on getting in fights,” Ruby said. “Not many, anyway.” She looked around, spotting Weiss standing by the gate with wide eyes. Once Tai waved her off, she jogged back to Weiss.

“Are you okay?” Weiss asked, grabbing Ruby’s hand.

“I’m fine,” she said, letting Weiss turn her wrist over and examine her palm. “I gave him a bloody nose.”

Weiss giggled and smiled, giddy with relief. “Good,” she said, still holding Ruby’s hand. “He deserved it.”

They laughed lightly, heads bowed together. So focused on each other, on the fact that they were okay, they were unaware of Coco, Fox and Qrow watching them from the stands with fond smiles, of Sun and Glynda and Tai glancing at them, of Summer and Raven murmuring to each other, or of the three boys glaring at them across the crowd. For the moment, all that existed was the two of them.

_“All I've known has changed_

_How do we start anew?_

_How do we spark the flame without the gasoline?_

_When do we start to choose the one who takes the blame?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Weiss-centric chapter! She's had a rough few days but she's doing her best. I didn't get all of the awkward conversations I wanted to into this chapter, but there'll be more coming. Ruby and Weiss conversations are fun to write, but I think there'll be some more RWBY scenes coming up.  
> Yeah so the systemic racism is something I've learned a lot about the past few years, in part because of my own research and interests and in part because my mother has taken a lot of classes about restorative justice in the process of getting her PhD. Since I made this also take place in a nondescript area on a US coastline, I threw in some of the real-world racism based on what I saw in high school. Also, Patch's student body size is based on my own high school. I was part of a graduating class of 336. Alsius' student body is based on the nearby private school.  
> (Also this should go without saying but just in case, the views some characters show are not my own. They're fictional an provide a point of conflict. Don't look too deep into it.)  
> Tell me what you think! Comments are always appreciated!


	12. Free Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone else at Signal, Yang has dinner with the Belladonnas and hangs out with Blake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Free Fall by Ok Goodnight

_ “Take the chances, overcome, _

_ Break away, the sun will find and lift you off the ground.” _

While everyone else was at Ruby’s track meet, Yang was home alone with Zwei. She tried to busy herself with her chemistry homework to avoid thinking about Signal and Patch, about Coco and Fox, about Yatsu and Velvet and -

“Stare any harder and you might bore a hole through the table.”

Yang jumped, whipping around to see Blake leaning against the doorway to the garage.

“When did you get there?” She frowned at the garage door, raising an eyebrow at Blake.

“Thirty seconds ago?” Blake shrugged, shoving her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie. “You’re invited for dinner, remember? Mom wanted me to come get you.”

Yang blinked, looking at the clock on the stove. It was almost six thirty, but she could’ve sworn it had only been a few minutes since she set up at the table at four.

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” she said. She shoved her papers into her folder, leaving it on the table. “Let me fill Zwei’s water bowl.”

Blake watched her move around the kitchen, frowning slightly.

“Are you okay?” she asked when Yang shrugged on her jacket. “You’ve been… off, today.”

“Have I?” Yang’s voice was quiet and she didn’t meet Blake’s eyes. 

“Since this morning,” Blake said, blunt and honest. “Since Weiss asked you about Patch.”

Yang sighed and kicked off her shoes in the Belladonna’s foyer, nudging them into place beside Blake’s. Her hiking boots, heavy and brown and worn, looked out of place next to the Belladonna’s shoes - Ghira’s dress shoes, Kali’s sensible heels, Blake’s heeled boots, all black and leather, smooth and neat.

“Yang! Come in, we’re almost ready!” Ghira called from the dining room. 

“Thanks for having me,” she said, passing Kali in the kitchen. “Can I help at all?”

Kali shooed her away from the stove. “Go sit,” she said. “Ghira and I will bring out the plates.”

Blake simply shrugged at her, taking her usual seat at the small table while Yang sat across from her. There were already glasses of water at each place and Ghira set their plates in front of them with a broad smile - honey garlic glazed salmon and roasted peppers.

“So how was school?” Ghira asked them. “James told me Weiss started at Beacon today.”

“It was all right,” Blake said. “A lot of whispers about Weiss, but I don’t think she heard any of them.”

“She was pretty quiet,” Yang put in. “I think she was too busy thinking about her own stuff to notice anyone else.”

“Was she okay?” Ghira asked.

“A bit shaky, I think it might’ve been going from a small student body to a massive one that threw her off,” Yang said, “alongside everything else.”

“Do you have any classes with her?” Kali asked. “She’ll be needing friends.”

“English and Stats,” Blake replied. “Different lunches, but I think she ate with Ruby.”

“She has Chem with me and Pyrrha,” Yang said. “She’s pretty good at it, too. Finished everything and explained it to us with half the class to spare.”

“That’s not surprising,” Kali said, cutting her peppers carefully. “Her family’s company puts a lot of value on chemical engineering to find new ways of powering their electronics.”

“Not like they’d put it toward clean energy,” Blake said, poking her salmon. “Schnee Tech is known for being incompatible with existing technology.”

“I think that’s a capitalist thing,” Yang said. “Milk the tech geeks for every dime they have.”

Ghira sighed. “They have improved in recent years,” he pointed out.

“Only because they’re not allowed to force planned obsolescence anymore.” Yang spun her fork in her hand. “Vale’s council cracked down on that last year.”

“They did?” Blake asked, one of her ears flicking curiously.

Yang nodded. “When they tried to roll out their own form of Bluetooth there was a lot of backlash from car manufacturers. They didn’t want to redo their plans for new models and Schnee had to compromise to make them backwards compatible.” She paused, looking up to see the three of them staring at her. 

“You know quite a bit about this,” Kali said.

“It caused some problems at Mama’s garage,” Yang said, swinging her legs under the chair to cross them at the ankle. “People were rushing in trying to replace their radios but the garage didn’t have the parts necessary for any of it since it wasn’t supposed to roll out for another few months, and they never got them in since Schnee tabled the plan.”

“That would explain the petitions the council has been getting,” Ghira said as he scratched his chin. At Blake and Yang’s raised brows, he explained, “Schnee’s board has been petitioning a change to those laws to let them make more exclusive technology.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “Classism,” she grumbled, poking her peppers. “It’s just more classism. Greedy jerks.”

She didn’t notice Kali glancing at Blake and winking, or Blake blushing, or Ghira stifling a chuckle. 

“You had a test in history today?” Kali asked Blake, effectively shifting the subject before Yang could go on a tangent. 

Blake had offered to watch something with Yang after dinner which led them to the basement. Yang whistled at the massive TV, flopping onto the squishy couch.

“I’m never moving,” she said, sinking into the seat. “So comfy.”

Blake snorted, browsing the shelves of DVDs. “Any suggestions?” she asked. 

“You have that show you and Ruby and Weiss were geeking over?” 

“I thought you said anime was for dorks,” Blake said, turning on the console that connected to Netflix.

“It is,” Yang replied, “but I thought you’d know by now that I come from a family of dorks. I’m not immune.”

Blake rolled her eyes before sitting beside Yang, a few inches between them. “You don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to,” she said, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t want to see it.” Yang sat up, fiddling with a lever on the side of the couch until a footrest shot out. “It’s more fun to watch with someone but Ruby likes to talk during shows and has a habit of spoiling things.”

“Okay then,” Blake said, “what’s she spoiled for you?”

Yang tilted her head, thinking with her head propped on her hand. “I know it’s about a pair of brothers in another world,” she said, “and they’re in the military. She’s been texting Weiss about it which has spared me from spoilers for once.”

“Good,” Blake said, pulling her legs under her. “Let’s watch.”

Blake watched Yang’s reactions more than she watched the show. She wasn’t an expressive viewer, but she gasped at some of the reveals and watched closely. She asked a few questions but gave up when Blake’s response remained, “Just watch,” after every one.

“I hate you,” Yang said when the ending song played after the fourth episode. Blake jumped and was surprised when she saw tears in Yang’s eyes. “You and Ruby and Weiss are the worst, how could you recommend this?”

“Do you want to stop?” Blake asked, glancing at the time on her phone.

“No.” Yang sat up, leaning forward as she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. “But holy shit. No one’s safe?”

Blake smiled smally. “No,” she said softly. “And there are sixty more episodes.”

Yang frowned at her, one eyebrow raised. “Seriously?”

Blake nodded. “Hm-mmm.” She flicked an ear when Yang fell back into the couch with a groan. “Does it make it better if I tell you it’s entirely complete and all on Netflix?”

“A bit,” Yang sighed. “I can watch it in spurts, I guess.”

“Nope,” Blake said. “Now that you started it with me, you have to watch it with me.”

“No fair,” Yang whined. 

“You could’ve watched with Ruby,” Blake said with a shrug, “but you put it off. No watching ahead. I wanna see your reactions.”

Yang glared at her half-heartedly. “Evil,” she muttered. “You’re all evil and conspiring to make me suffer.”

Blake smirked at her. 

“Blake? Yang?” Ghira called down the stairwell. “The others just drove up.”

“That’s my cue,” Yang said, standing and stretching. “We can watch more tomorrow?”

“Next episode during lunch,” Blake agreed, following her upstairs. Through the window she could see Qrow talking to Weiss as they walked to the Ironwood house. 

“Thanks for having me over,” Yang said to Kali and Ghira. “It was fun. Dinner was delicious.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” Kali said, waving at her when she and Blake stepped outside.

“You know,” Blake said, following Yang into the garage, “you never answered my question earlier.”

“Hmm?” Yang paused beside the bike to look at her.

“What was wrong,” Blake said, “after Weiss asked about Patch this morning. You didn’t really seem okay till dinner.”

Yang tensed before she sighed and dropped her shoulders, brushing her fingers on the bike’s windshield. 

“I was expelled from Signal,” she murmured, “for fighting. I’m not allowed back on Signal’s campus and I’m barred from all school sports.”

Blake blinked at her in shock, sitting on the workbench to listen.

“At school I can pretend everything is normal,” she said, “but it’s a lie. I’m not fine. And the track team going to Signal - the one place I  _ can’t _ go - it just stirred up all those memories I’d been pushing back.”

Blake’s ears folded back slightly. “Do you not like Vale?” she asked. 

There was a long pause as Yang didn’t answer and Blake wondered if she’d asked too fast, too suddenly, frightened Yang into closing off.

‘ _ Do you not like me?’ _

Her hidden question hung in the air between them like a time bomb, agonizing as Blake waited for it to go off.

“When we moved here I was…” Yang paused again, sitting on the steps to the kitchen. “It’s my fault we had to move here but I’m not sure I regret it anymore. It sucked - moving - but I like it here and it feels - it feels selfish, in a way, to like it here. But I do. I like being your friend. I like riding my bike with Ruby. I like my classes - I even like most of our classmates.”

“Why were you fighting?” Blake asked. Her voice was soft but her eyes were wide, golden disks betraying her worry and fear.

“For Velvet.” She didn’t look at Blake, her eyes focused on her hands. They were callused and rough along the fingers from holding wrenches and screwdrivers, the knuckles tough from years of fighting. There’d been a point in time where she always had tape around her hands to keep her knuckles from getting misaligned. She’d thrown out all the tape after she was expelled. “But I don’t think she wanted me to fight for her.”

Yang looked at Blake and startled her with the fondness in her lilac eyes. “You and Velvet would get along,” she said definitively. “There wasn’t a White Fang chapter on Patch but she was big into activism. She wanted to be an investigative journalist and made me and Coco and Fox help her revive the school newspaper.”

“She sounds cool,” Blake said. 

“She is,” Yang said, gaze drifting to her bike as her smile fell into a frown. “I guess the paper probably isn’t doing as well without her there. She was Editor in Chief last year. Coco is this year but there aren’t many people taking journalism. It was always, like, ten people, max.”

“Does it have a name? The school paper?”

“The Signal Beam. Cheesy, right?”

Blake shook her head. “I like it. Beacon’s isn’t much cooler - The Tower is kind of boring next to that.”

Yang shrugged. “I’m still begging the question, aren’t I?” she muttered, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Nice vocab use, but yeah, a bit.” Blake looked out to the street, frowning at a red car driving slowly past their houses. “You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready to. I just want to know that you’re okay.”

“I’m not sure I know what okay is anymore,” Yang admitted. Arms wrapped around her knees and chin resting on her forearms, she looked small and defeated.

“I think it’s relative.” Blake stretched out her arms, standing up and leaning back until her back clicked. “Maybe you can’t get your old okay back, but you just have to find the new one.”

“Do you have a new okay?” Yang asked. “Now that you’re out of the White Fang?”

Blake shrugged. “I’m still finding it,” she said. “But hanging out with you, talking to Sun and Ruby, driving Oscar and Penny, I think I’m getting there.”

Yang snorted. “Guess we get to find it together,” she said, holding out a fist.

Blake bumped her own fist against it with a smile. “Sounds good to me. See you tomorrow, Yang.”

“See you then.” 

Yang watched her go into her house before going into the kitchen, halting when she saw Raven, Tai, and Summer sitting around the table with a guilty looking Ruby. They all looked at her when the door shut behind her, freezing her in place.

“What -”

“Ruby broke Sky Lark’s nose,” Raven said, her head propped up on her hand. 

Yang looked from Raven to Ruby, who was staring at the table, and burst out laughing.

“I thought someone  _ died,” _ she said through her laughter. “Did you use the heel of your hand or a fist?”

“Yang,” Tai snapped, “this is serious.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t,” Yang said, stepping around the counter and rummaging through a cupboard, “but Ruby wouldn’t hit him if he didn’t deserve it. Besides, punching him would mess up her knuckles but hitting him with the heel of her hand wouldn’t hurt her as much.”

“So you taught her to use the heel of her hand?” Tai asked.

“Mama taught me that,” Yang replied. “I passed it on.”

“He started it,” Ruby grumbled. 

“Violence isn’t the answer, Ruby,” Summer said.

Ruby crossed her arms with a huff.  _ “He _ shoved  _ me  _ first,” she defended. “And it wouldn’t be fair if he and Russell ganged up on Sun.”

“Sun can defend himself perfectly well,” Tai told her. 

“They were calling him an animal!” Ruby argued. “They were goading him! It’s not fair.”

The front door creaked open and Qrow snuck in to stand beside Yang. “I hate to be the one to say it,” he said, “but people are gonna be goading you kids forever. Giving them the reactions you do can make it worse.” He looked pointedly from Ruby to Yang.

“But punching them can show them that it won’t be tolerated,” Yang said evenly. 

“It can,” Raven said, “but for people like them, for people with money and lawyers, they can paint it as the groups they’re harassing being overly aggressive and quick to anger.”

“You can’t let people’s words get to you,” Tai said. 

“Words have power,” Yang snapped. “You taught us that when we were  _ five _ and now it suddenly isn’t true? What people say matters and they know it, Dad.”

“They only have power if you give them power,” Summer said. Between Tai’s frustration and Yang’s temper, she had to keep her voice level and even.

“We dealt with Sky and Russell and Cardin for ten years and a lack of reaction never stopped them before,” Ruby said, “so why would it now? Besides, Goodwitch saw them both shove me and Sun first, she knows that they started it.”

“That’s beside the point, Ruby,” Tai said. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“So we should just let them shove us around?” Yang snapped. Qrow set a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, her eyes flickering red. “They get to do whatever they want and we have to suffer it?”

“No,” Raven said, “but you don’t want to use excessive force, either. Pushing him back would have been one thing, but breaking his nose is another.”

“He deserved it,” Ruby muttered.

“I’m not saying he didn’t, rosebud,” Raven said, putting a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, “but you need to be careful when fighting. Permanent or long-term damage is rarely the answer.”

“Fighting  _ isn’t _ the answer,” Tai said, turning to Raven. “Keep it civil or get an adult.”

“So first words do have power, then they don’t, and now we’re supposed to argue when they try and make it physical,” Yang said, looking at him. 

“I’m saying turn the other cheek and let it alone,” Tai corrected. “Or get an adult to talk to them.”

“Playing tattle-tale won’t make them change,” Yang said. “A broken nose might.”

“It’s not your job to make them change,” Summer said. 

“I thought we were supposed to handle things like adults and deal with it ourselves,” Ruby said, looking at Raven.

“In some cases you can try to talk it out between each other,” Raven said, waving a hand at Tai when he opened his mouth. “But if you reach a point where you’re not getting anywhere then you should find an adult, especially if they’re about to resort to violence.”

“So we shouldn’t hit back if they throw the first punch?” Yang asked, arms crossed and voice rough. “We should just run away?”

“Let’s take it as a case by case basis,” Qrow said, “but try to avoid fighting your classmates. You’re both good with words, so use them. The scars they leave can last a lot longer than a broken nose.”

Tai groaned but gave up on arguing. “If you get it fights at school,” he said, “I don’t want to hear about it. I gave you my advice, if you don’t take it, it’s on you, now.”

“Maybe we should find a boxing league,” Raven mused, tapping her chin. “You could air out your frustrations on the mat or a punching bag instead of on your classmates.”

Tai looked at Summer, who shrugged. Raven and Qrow had always been more willing to fight than either of them and they knew that they’d teach Ruby and Yang to fight despite their protests. They already had when the girls were younger.

“I want no part in the boxing league,” Summer said. “If you want to do that, you pay for it. But girls, no fighting at school. Keep it outside of school.”

“Okay,” Ruby mumbled. 

“Fine,” Yang said. She sat at the counter and looked at Ruby. “So how was the rest of the meet?”

Ruby brightened up immediately, talking at length about Weiss meeting Coco and Fox. The adults noticed that she left out running into Cardin but didn’t bring it up. The less they thought about him, the better, and they all felt Yang didn’t need to know that he was there. 

_ “You're holding all the cards, _

_ Win the game, your soul, in part, _

_ Tear the chains, your wings will end your free fall.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally part of a longer chapter but I decided to cut it in half. I had to take a break and write other things to get over a bit of a block but this story is still being written! If it's not obvious, I rewatched FMA:B a while ago and it's given me some ideas.


	13. Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang go shopping for Ruby's birthday present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Team by Lorde

_“Dancin' around the lies we tell,_

_Dancin' around big eyes as well,_

_Even the comatose, they don't dance and tell.”_

On Saturday morning, when Ruby went next door to hang out with Weiss and Penny, Yang realized that she still hadn’t found her a birthday present. She dug out her phone and pulled up her text stream with Blake.

 **Yang:** Hey quick I need an idea for a present for Ruby

It took a few minutes before she got a reply.

 **Blake:** Books? Why do you need a present for her?

 **Yang:** Her birthday is Halloween

Frowning, she ducked into Ruby’s bedroom, glancing at her bookshelves. Warrior Cats, Tamora Pierce, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings - most of her books were fantasy novels. The manga of the show Weiss had gotten her into was slowly filling up a shelf of its own. She looked around, hoping some idea would hit her from the things Ruby already had. Her curtains were drawn, her laptop was shut on her desk, her phone charger was pinned to her night stand under a sketchbook. 

**Blake:** Any luck?

 **Yang:** Not much. She likes fantasy novels and has been drawing more, maybe I can find something at the mall. Wanna come?

 **Blake:** Be there in ten, we can take my car.

 **Yang:** I have my bike?

 **Blake:** I’m not getting on the bike

The mall was bustling and Yang grimaced at Blake from the edge of the crowd and grabbed her wrist, trying to avoid getting separated before they reached the bookstore.

“Last minute shoppers are the worst,” Yang grumbled, dragging her to the cafe line. “Remind me not to leave my Christmas shopping till the last minute.”

“Way ahead of you,” Blake said. “Are there plans for Ruby’s birthday?”

“I think just dinner and gifts on Halloween,” Yang replied, “but on Saturday Fox and Coco are coming out to surprise her.”

“Your friends from Patch?”

Yang nodded, pausing the conversation when they got to the front of the line to order a coffee for herself and a green tea for Blake.

“They made sure at Ruby’s track meet that it was okay for them to come visit,” Yang said. “You’re invited, too. Weiss is gonna take Ruby to lunch and Mr. Ironwood and Oscar and Penny are gonna come over to help set up.”

“Do you want me to help?” Blake asked, following her to the edge of the counter to wait for the drinks. 

“The set up isn’t that much,” Yang said, “but we may need help in getting Ruby’s gifts from Mr. Ironwood’s basement to the dining room. If we don’t hide them she finds them before her birthday. I still have to figure out where to hide whatever I get her.”

“You can hide it at my house,” Blake said. “I should get her something if I’m coming on Saturday.”

“I was thinking of getting her a book or some art supplies,” Yang replied. She thanked the barista when they brought out the drinks, handing Blake her tea. “You might be better for getting her a book, I don’t read that much.”

“You said she likes fantasy?” Blake led her to the young adult section, reading the titles and authors. 

“Her favorite is Tamora Pierce,” Yang said. “And those Warrior Cat books, did you ever read those?”

Blake grinned at her and Yang groaned. “You’re both the same kind of nerd,” she moaned. 

“They’re an easy read,” Blake said. She read through the titles, brushing her fingers along the spines. “And they’re fun.”

“Baby books,” Yang said simply before pulling out a dystopian novel. “Uncle Qrow reads them, too. Every time a new one comes out Ruby just gives him the puppy dog eyes and he takes her to get it.”

Blake snorted. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” she said. She rounded the shelves to another section full of fantasy paperbacks. She pulled out a thick novel and read the blurb, shook her head, and put it back, repeating the motion multiple times before going back to the contemporary section. Yang followed her, watching Blake read the titles and tilt the books gently to look at the covers and spines, occasionally pulling them out all the way to read the blurbs. Eventually she found a hardback and held it out to Yang, who read the blurb and nodded.

“You’re the book person,” she said as they got in line. “I’ll trust your judgement.”

“Dystopian is a lot different from fantasy,” Blake said, holding the book carefully, “but this author is pretty decent. I’ll stick the gift receipt in the front cover so if she doesn’t like it she can trade it in.”

“Even if she doesn’t like it, Qrow and Mom might,” Yang said. “Books are kinda jointly owned in our house. They’d probably offer to pick her up a new book if she doesn’t like this one, but you’ve got similar taste.”

“That’s good to know.” Blake smiled at the cashier and accepted the plastic bag after she paid, tucking the gift receipt dutifully in the front cover before looking at Yang. “So, craft store?”

Yang pumped her fists in the air. “Craft store!” she said, turning on her heel. 

The craft store was a mix of art supplies, crafts, decorations, and fabric. Yang hadn’t gone to the fabric section of a store since the last time she helped Coco find materials for a project. Patch’s branch was smaller than Vale’s and she whistled when she stepped in, nodding at the greeter.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in here,” Blake said, looking at the front displays. “This is a lot of Halloween stuff.”

“Seasonal decor,” a worker said, not stopping in filling a shelf with tiny pumpkins. “Christmas stuff will be out here next week.”

“It’s _October,”_ Yang said emphatically.

The worker shrugged. “We got Christmas fabric in June,” they said. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Do you have alcohol markers?” Yang asked.

They pointed them to the back corner, where Yang found hundreds of tiny paint bottles and more markers than she could think of what to do with.

“Maybe I should get her paints,” Yang mused, crouching down to look at the colors. “She usually uses Sharpies, though.”

“She could take markers to school with her,” Blake said. “Paints would have to stay home.”

“Markers, then,” Yang said, finding a variety box. “And a new sketchbook.”

“There are a lot of kinds of sketchbooks,” Blake said, looking at the shelves. “What’s the difference between them? Isn’t paper the same?”

“No,” Yang said, finding a large one made for markers, “the papers have different weights and some are smoother than others. You _could_ use a generic sketchpad for any medium, but if you’re using one medium, the paper designed for it is the best to go with.” She paused a second, looking at Blake and grinning at her bewildered expression. “Coco and Ruby are art kids, they’d go on for hours and Fox and I were forced to listen.”

“Fox doesn’t do art?” Blake asked.

“Fox is blind,” Yang said. “He likes clay, though. Coco would always use colored pencils to draw mock-ups of outfits she wanted to make. One time she tried to use markers and got frustrated because it bled through the paper. From what I remember, marker paper is more absorbent and a bit smoother to allow for better blending. Rougher papers are better for getting more of the pigment off of, like, colored pencils and pastels.”

“Art is a lot more complicated than I thought,” Blake grumbled. 

“Which is why I stick with mechanics,” Yang said. “Come on, I want to look at the fabric.”

“Do you sew?” Blake followed her across the store, stopping to stare at the bolts. There were so many fabrics, in so many shades and patterns, out of so many kinds of fabric. Yang took her hand and led her through the aisles, out of the way of other shoppers.

“I don’t,” she said, “but Ruby does. Don’t tell her, but she’s getting a sewing machine for Christmas. I just like looking. And feeling.”

She brushed her hand against a soft fabric with a grin. She wasn’t a seamstress at all - if she got a rip in her clothes, she was more inclined to put tape over it than ask Summer to patch it - but she could appreciate the patterns and the quality of the material. There weren’t many people going through the fabrics. Most people had realized that they didn’t have time to start from scratch to make their costumes, but she could see a few older women getting their fabric measured by the workers. She drifted over to the costume section, running her hand against a fabric that had flipping sequins.

“People actually buy this stuff?” Blake asked, wrinkling her nose at a shiny fabric. “It smells like - like -”

“PVC?” Yang asked. “Coco hates that stuff. Says it’s overpriced and low quality.”

“I think I’m inclined to agree,” Blake said, tilting the bolt down to look at the top. “How are these priced?”

“Per yard,” Yang said, pointing at the number at the end of the bolt. “I went to Patch’s branch with Coco a million times, she made me learn how to read these labels. Name, width, content, care instructions, and price. For someone who doesn’t sew at all, I’m very familiar with the fabric store.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Blake said. She turned and her ears twitched when she caught sight of something on the wall. “Is that fur?”

“Fake fur,” Yang corrected. “It’s soft, though. Feel it.”

Blake ran her hands along the bolts, stopping on an extra soft one. It was softer and finer than Zwei and kept the imprint of her hand after she pulled it away. “I want a blanket made out of that,” she said.

“It’s fifty dollars a yard,” Yang said.

“I do not want a blanket out of that,” Blake said, stepping back. “That’s a lot for fabric.”

“Coco dragged me out on Black Friday to get fabric,” Yang said as they walked through the store, “and we saw someone spend six hundred dollars on sale-priced cotton fabrics. She was a quilter or something and when she got her ticket she said it was a _steal.”_

Blake stared at her in shock. _“What?”_ she asked, shaking her head like she hadn’t heard Yang.

“Yep!” Yang nodded, pausing by the checkout line. “Fabric people are crazy. I’d show you Coco’s sewing room if I had a picture, she’s got bookshelves full of plastic bins with fabric scraps and a trunk full of old books and sewing patterns from her grandma. She started by learning how to quilt and her grandma left her all her fabric and then she got into making clothes. It’s almost scary how much fabric she has.”

“Does she want to be a designer?” Blake asked.

“Sort of,” Yang said. She paid and took her bag, not looking at Blake as she talked. “She started by making clothes and would model them for Velvet so she could practice taking pictures. They put them up on Instagram and got a decent following and someone suggested they try cosplay, so she’s actually got her own business doing commissions for people.”

“That’s actually really cool?” Blake said, weighing her words as they walked through the mall. “I don’t think anyone at Vale is big on the fandom stuff, but Sun and Neptune follow a few people online who are part of the convention crowd. They’ve talked about saving up to go to a con the summer before college.”

“Velvet was the one who was into fandom before the rest of us,” Yang said. She turned into Hot Topic as she spoke, beelining for the clearance section. “But she got Ruby into it, and Ruby got _Qrow_ into it.”

“Your uncle is into fandom?” Blake paused in flicking through the clearance rack, hand hovering over a tank top.

“He’s actually had art put in a zine,” Yang said. “Ruby wrote something and he made art to go with it. Mom thought it was a good creative outlet and bought like three copies of the zine.” She paused, looking at Blake thoughtfully. “You’re into fandom, aren’t you?”

Blake blushed, looking at the clearance shirts instead of Yang. “I like writing,” she said, “and sometimes writing a fic is easier than writing my own thing. It’s relaxing.”

“Ruby makes me beta read her stuff,” Yang said, “for typos and shit. I think she’s been taking a break, though.”

“Probably because of school and track and Weiss,” Blake said. “What fandoms does she write for?”

Yang dug her phone out of her pocket, pulling up Ruby’s profile. Blake blinked at it, looking from the phone to Yang and back before saying, “I’ve read her stuff.”

“You _have?!”_

“Yes!” Blake took her phone and opened one of the stories, swiping down to the comments and pointing at one. “That’s _me!”_

Yang stared at her, mouth open, before throwing her head back and cackling. “Oh my _god!”_ she cried, trying to stifle her laughter. “We need to tell Ruby, oh my god, that’s _amazing.”_

“What? No!” Blake tried to grab Yang’s phone, face bright red.

“Blake, I read the comments with Ruby,” she said as she tried to even her breathing. “Your comments are some of her _favorites._ You’ve guessed where her stories were going, like, ten times and made her alter plot points. She’s gonna _flip.”_

Blake groaned, burying her face in her hands. “She’s gonna know I’m a dork,” she moaned.

Yang laughed, throwing her arm around Blake’s shoulder and bumping their heads together. “We’re all dorks,” she said, “so you’re in good company.”

Blake glared at her half-heartedly, face still red. “This begs the question,” she said, “of what _you’ve_ done in fandom.”

“Not much,” Yang said with a shrug. “I beta read for Ruby and look at Coco’s designs but I’m more of a consumer than a creator. There are a few pictures of me modeling with Coco, though.”

Yang blushed red when she saw Blake look her up and down and nod. 

“You know,” Blake said with a crooked grin, “if you did your hair right, you could cosplay the mechanic from FMA.”

Yang snorted, looking at the regular shirts on the wall. “Don’t give Ruby ideas,” she said. “She’ll pass them on to Coco and I won’t get a choice in the matter.”

Blake grinned at her, laughing when Yang half-heartedly threw a shirt at her with a weak cry. She ducked behind another rack to avoid the shirts, folding them and putting them away while Yang moaned with her face in her hands. 

“Want to get something to eat?” Blake asked. “Now that we have Ruby’s gifts?”

“One more stop before food,” Yang said, holding up a hand and pointing at a gift card store. “Wrapping paper and a card. Preferably a dumb card.”

“How dumb a card are we talking?” Blake skimmed her fingers over the cards, pulling out one with a llama in a party hat.

“The real winner will have a pun on it.” Yang crouched down to look at some cards, grinning when she found one she liked. “Perfect. What’d you get?”

Blake held up a simple card with roses on it. “Too on the nose?” she asked.

“Nah, her bedroom is all roses,” Yang said, shaking her head. “She likes them.” She went to the wrapping paper, finding a plain red roll. Blake found a roll with a rose print and picked it up, grabbing a second roll covered in sunflowers after a few moments of thought.

“My mom’s birthday is in November,” she said simply. “Lunch?”

They split a pizza in the food court, watching the other shoppers. Blake pulled out her phone, scrolling through her Instagram feed while Yang scarfed down her half of the pizza.

“Do you know Coco’s Instagram?” she asked, offering Yang her phone. Yang nodded and typed in the handle, pulling up the account. She shifted slightly, watching Blake scroll through the pictures.

“She’s good,” Blake murmured. “Is this you?”

Yang leaned forward. “Yeah, she turned me into Sailor Moon last Halloween. I think that took her two weeks to make.”

Blake whistled. She didn’t recognize a lot of the characters - anime, movies, and video games were most of the source materials listed in the captions - but she recognized Ruby and Yang in the pictures and double-tapped the ones with them in it. 

“What do you think she’d turn me into?” Blake asked. “Given the chance.”

Yang paused, drumming her fingers against her cheek as she thought. “You’d make a pretty good Momo,” she said after a second, “from My Hero. Long black hair and all that, you could do any of her outfits.”

“For a second, I thought you were talking about the lemur from Avatar,” Blake admitted.

Yang snorted, holding a hand up to her nose. “If you go as Momo from Avatar,” she said, “I’ll go as Appa.”

“Go where?” Blake asked, poorly stifling a chuckle.

“Anywhere.” Yang shrugged, grinning broadly at her. “Ruby could be Aang.”

Blake snorted again, hand lifted to block her mouth with her phone. Yang tilted her head and frowned.

“Why do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?” Blake asked.

“You cover your mouth when you laugh,” Yang said, lifting her own hand up. “How come?”

Blake blushed, ears folded against her head as her smile fell. “Oh - um, well.” She picked at the pizza, pulling a string of cheese from the crust she’d left. “Adam always said it wasn’t attractive, how I’d snort when I laughed or how my teeth have a gap. I guess I just - I internalized it, I guess. People can’t criticize what they can’t see, y’know?”

“Adam Taurus is full of shit,” Yang said decisively. “Your laugh is great, it lets me know that my jokes are _funny_ and you’re not just chuckling to be polite, and your smile is fine. The gap in your teeth is cute.”

Blake blinked, staring at Yang who stared back evenly, unblinking and unwavering.

She had to know. She _must_ have known.

“Really?” she asked.

Yang nodded. “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true,” she said, gathering up their trash to stick it in the pizza box. Her phone chirped and she glanced at it, not noticing Blake’s soft smile or the red slowly dissipating from her cheeks. “Mom wants us to pick up burger buns. Apparently Mr. Ironwood has invited us to a backyard barbecue.”

“Probably the last one before he packs up his grill,” Blake said. She stretched her arms above her head until her shoulders clicked, fingers laced together. “I wonder if he’ll let Oscar use the grill this year, he always told him and Penny they weren’t allowed to touch it until they were in high school.”

“So long as he doesn’t let Qrow touch it,” Yang said. “He disintegrated our fire barrel on Patch.”

Blake blinked at her, ears swiveling. “How?” she asked flatly. She swung her keys on her finger, trying to remember where they parked.

Yang pointed out her car, putting the bags in the trunk once Blake popped it. “We had a fire pit but it was full of glass ‘cause he’d dropped a six-pack,” she said, “so he grabbed this rusty old barrel we’d put sticks and shit in when we were cleaning up the yard. We’d made small fires in it before, but it had been a few years, so it was rusted to hell and he dropped a Duraflame log in on top of the kindling and the whole barrel collapsed in on itself.”

“Jesus,” Blake breathed, pulling out into the road. She didn’t look at Yang as she drove, watching the other cars.

“It didn’t stop the fire when it collapsed, either,” Yang said, “so we had a pile of kindling and rusty metal burning, and Duraflame burns _hot._ Qrow sent Ruby in to find the fire extinguisher that Mama had taken to work so we had to get a bunch of shovels and cover it in dirt to put it out.”

“Your Uncle has some sort of luck,” Blake said, frowning at her rear-view mirror as she turned into a supermarket. 

“Mama calls him Bad Luck Branwen sometimes,” Yang said. “When we were moving in he tripped on the doorstep and hurt his back. It’s gotten better since he went sober, but he still has mishaps.” She grabbed a cart and dropped her phone and wallet into the seat before pushing it through the doors.

“I wanted to ask you about that,” Blake said, following her through the grocery store to the bread section. “Ruby said he was a bartender but I’ve never seen him drink - I’ve never seen any alcohol in your house, actually.”

“We’re a dry house,” Yang said. She tossed a bag of hamburger buns into the cart and, after a moment, added a bag of hot dog buns, turning the cart toward the meats. “Qrow has been sober for a couple years now. He used to be… he used to drink a lot. He was functional, but it wasn’t healthy, so he went sober. What does he usually make on the grill?”

“Burgers and hot dogs,” Blake said. She stopped when Yang did, watching her examine the meats in front of her. “How does he handle being a bartender if he was an alcoholic?”

“It was hard at first,” Yang said, grabbing a pack of bratwurst. “He had to take time off when he first went sober because the withdrawal was fucking him up, but his boss was able to put him in contact with a therapist and a support group that helped a bunch. He still has some hard days but since he’s been sober for a few years, now, it’s gotten easier. So he says, at least.”

“You think it’s not as easy as he says?” Blake asked. She dug into her pocket for her wallet, grabbing a pack of fish filets and adding them to the cart.

“I think he tries to play it off to keep us from worrying.” Yang raised an eyebrow at the fish filets. “You really like fish.”

“If you make a joke about cats and tuna, I’ve heard them all,” Blake said dryly, her ears folded back and shoulders stiff.

Yang shook her head. “Every spring someone would leave chocolate bunnies or carrots on Velvet’s desk because they thought it was funny,” she said. “It pissed her off every time. I may tell bad jokes, but I’m not that insensitive.” She went towards the chip aisle, grabbing tortilla and potato chips and small jars of dip. Blake held up a bottle of soda and Yang nodded, grabbing a couple others that she knew Ruby and Oscar liked. 

“Good,” Blake said, the defensive set of her shoulders dissolving. “Sorry, I’ve just - I’ve heard a lot of shitty things.”

“I can imagine,” Yang hummed. “It’s one thing if you’re making a joke at your own expense, but someone else doing it is different.”

“Microaggression,” Blake offered. “Even if it’s well-meaning, it’s still wrong.”

“It still hurts.” Yang swung the cart toward the self-check, bagging the food as they talked. “Adam, he’s a bull Faunus, right? I’m guessing he got comments about being bull-headed and stubborn, am I wrong?”

“Nope,” Blake said, taking the bag of buns. “Granted, he _is_ pretty obstinate, but that’s just him.”

“I don’t like him,” Yang said, “but that’s nothing to do with him being a Faunus.”

Blake tilted her head, one ear flicking. “You barely know him,” she said. They squeezed around a family talking by the exit, ignoring the screaming children and the tired parents.

Yang shrugged. “He didn’t treat you well and he was pretty rude when I did meet him,” she said simply. “That’s enough for me.”

“You - care about how he treated me?”

“You’re, like, my best friend,” Yang said, staring at her blankly. “Of _course_ I care.”

Blake stared at her, golden eyes wide and blinking in surprise. She hadn’t had the moniker of ‘best friend’ attached to her in _years._ She and Ilia had grown apart and Sun had grown closer to Neptune and she was separated from Oscar and Penny by years, but Yang - who had known her for two months - was tossing it out, giving it to her like it was the simplest thing in the world, like it couldn’t be questioned or challenged.

And she _cared,_ about Blake’s feelings, about how she was treated. Sun had distanced himself after arguing with her about Adam, Ilia had never intervened, but Yang cared, Yang -

 _‘She was the one who drove you to take action,’_ a little voice in her head reminded her. _‘She was the catalyst. She’s how you got the courage to break up with Adam.’_

Blake had gotten used to being a closed book to her peers, but Yang managed to read her like a billboard, and as unsettling as it was at times, it wasn’t unwelcome. She could read Yang just as easily, though she wasn’t as guarded as Blake was in the first place.

Sitting in the Ironwoods’ backyard, watching Oscar run around with Zwei and Ruby convince Weiss to sword-fight with sticks, Blake felt like a knot that had been in her ribs was loosening. As night fell and Raven dragged over the fire pit and her mom found marshmallows and chocolate, and she and Yang skewered bratwursts over the fire, she felt like the tension Adam had left behind was finally dissipating, leaving nothing but air and light to fill her.

And looking at Yang, laughing at Tai’s bad jokes with Ghira, her laughter loud and her eyes crinkling and the purple depths sparkling in the firelight, she wondered how much of the warmth in her chest was from the fire in front of them and how much was her own.

_“We live in cities you'll never see onscreen,_

_Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things,_

_Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams,_

_And you know we're on each other's team.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while to finish. For the most part I've tried to write every day this year and until March I was doing pretty well (90k in two months!) but then I hit a bit of a slump and bought a few video games to distract myself with. Alongside all this coronavirus panic, my work has cut hours back to the point that I'm only working weekends. It's not very fun, honestly, because I'm stuck at home with looming responsibilities and I've felt like steaming garbage for weeks. (Not COVID-19 garbage, just anxiety-induced garbage.)  
> So, I work at a fabric and craft store. Sometimes I write the characters into the store. Cosplayers are usually pretty cool customers because they'll show me their projects and I can give them pointers sometimes, even though I don't sew. I just work in the fabric department. I have had customers on Black Friday come in with FUCK LOADS of fabric to be cut and walk away with six hundred dollars worth of fabric. It's mildly horrifying to me, since I make about three hundred dollars a paycheck.  
> But yeah, the Bees are a-buzzing and Ruby's birthday is coming up. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!


	14. Once in a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ruby's birthday!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Once in a Dream by In the City

_“Once in a dream I thought I could be anyone I wanted,_

_Hard to believe but it felt real to me until the morning,_

_When I’m awake I still can’t shake the taste of freedom.”_

Ruby liked having a Halloween birthday. When she was younger, she’d get candy from trick-or-treating, and Uncle Qrow always bought her a mixed bag of the good candies as part of her present. It didn’t usually fall on a weekend, so the day of her birthday would just be for her family to celebrate, and during the weekend she’d celebrate with her friends. This year, though, she wasn’t sure if there were plans. She was surprised that Penny and Oscar both offered her a chocolate bar when they got to their homeroom.

“Your real present hasn’t arrived yet,” Penny said. She hiccuped slightly and dug her water bottle out of her bag. “But we’ll wrap it and give it to you when it gets here.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to!” Ruby said, opening one of the bars and breaking off pieces to offer them. “I don’t even know when your birthdays are.”

“March 17th,” Penny said. She frowned, reaching up to fix the bow in her hair. “Oscar’s is May 6th. Can you -”

Ruby shifted to comb her hair with her fingers, redoing her ponytail and fixing her bow to where she tied it. “Your hair is really long,” she said, combing her fingers through to make sure there were no knots. 

“I want it to be as long as Weiss’s,” Penny said. “But I’ve only been growing it out for a couple years.”

Oscar poked her cheek with the end of his pencil. “She used to keep it chin-length,” Oscar said. “But Blake started growing her hair out and she liked how it looked.”

“Blake’s hair is _long,”_ Ruby said. “Not as long as Yang’s, but still pretty long.”

“Has Yang ever cut her hair?” Penny asked. She shifted nervously, crossing her ankles under her chair. 

“She’s gotten the ends trimmed, but I think the last haircut she got was in middle school.” Ruby wrinkled her nose, tugging at the ends of her own hair. “Someone stuck gum in it and Mama had to cut it to get it out. Yang was _mad.”_

“Somehow the thought of Yang angry is kind of scary,” Oscar said. 

“It is,” Ruby murmured. She shook her head, like it would shake away the bad thoughts and memories of Yang being angry at Cardin and his friends. She pointed at her paper, tapping the pencil against a problem. “Do you know how to do this one?”

She shouldn’t have been surprised that some of her other friends and classmates had found out when her birthday was - Oscar seemed to have told Jaune, who’d told Pyrrha, who’d apparently told Nora and Ren, since the four of them waylaid her when she left her history class. Ren offered her a small box and she gasped when she opened it - it was a small cake, frosted to look like a rose.

“Happy birthday!” Nora crowed. “Yang told Pyrrha in chemistry that you liked chocolate and Ren is like the _best_ baker in the school. Jaune did the frosting, though.”

Ruby tried to splutter out a thanks but Ren just waved a hand. “It was no big deal,” he said. “It was more trouble keeping Nora from eating all the frosting.”

Nora leaned toward Ruby and whispered, “Buttercream. Secret Arc family recipe.”

Pyrrha, it seemed, had the forethought to put a plastic fork in the box. Ruby took a bite, humming happily. “This is _amazing,”_ she said around a mouthful. She spotted Weiss at the end of the hall and waved her over, spearing a bit of the cake and holding it out. “Weiss, try this!”

Weiss did, blinking and nodding as she chewed, a hand raised delicately over her mouth. “That’s really good,” she said. “You made that?”

Ren nodded. “A family recipe,” he said. “Much better than the box brand.”

 _“Way_ better,” Ruby agreed. “And the frosting is Jaune’s family recipe?”

Jaune nodded, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he blushed. “Yeah, my sister taught me how to make it.”

Ruby closed the box carefully, holding it between both hands as she thanked them. They went off to the cafeteria, leaving Weiss and Ruby to go to the library. It’d been over a week since she’d shown up on Ruby’s doorstep and while her eye had healed a fair bit, she still wore a bandage over it. Ruby kept to her left side, so no one could come up on her blind side, running into the cafeteria for something before sitting at their usual table in the library.

“I know today is your actual birthday,” Weiss said, “but I was wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch with me on Saturday? As a late celebration.”

Ruby beamed at her. “I’d love to,” she said. She set the box between them, opening it. “Share this with me?”

Weiss smiled and took the fork Ruby offered her. She’d grabbed another fork from the cafeteria and, inexplicably, mayonnaise packets, which she shoved into her lunch bag. They dug into the cake, making pleased sounds at Ren’s baking. 

“How’s - uh - how’s the case going?” Ruby asked awkwardly. “With your mom?”

Weiss paused in digging her lunch bag out of her backpack. “It’s…” She thought for a moment. “I saw Winter on Sunday. She’s been getting ready with Mom for Father to do the worst he can, but she’s certain that her job isn’t in any danger. She said they were going to give him the papers this coming Sunday.”

Ruby set her hand on Weiss’s, calming her tapping fingers. “I’m here for you,” she murmured. “He can’t get to you. I won’t let him.”

Weiss smiled at her, lacing her fingers in Ruby’s. “I know,” she whispered. “It’s still - just - it’s nerve-racking. I’ll have to see him at some point, and it’s - it’s hard. I keep trying not to think about it, but-”

“It’s hard to push away the bad thoughts,” Ruby said. “But if you need a distraction, I’ve got more books to recommend, and we can always watch Netflix or something.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Weiss unzipped her backpack, pulling out the book Ruby had lent her. “I finished it last night.”

“Did you like it?” Ruby asked, taking the worn novel and putting it in her bag. The spine was cracked and the metallic had worn away from parts of the cover, she’d read it so many times.

Weiss nodded. “I don’t normally read fantasy but I liked it,” she said. “I’ve never read a book that was formatted like a journal before, and I liked how the characters all felt - real, like they had their own stories beyond the plot.”

Ruby grinned. “I’ve got the other two in the trilogy if you wanna read ‘em,” she said. “They get a bit harder to read but they’re still really good.”

“Please,” Weiss said, tapping the table with a finger. “It’s a good distraction.”

“Come over before dinner and I can give you the second one,” she said. “I like this author, I have, like, ten more of her books. They’re all in the same universe, but this one is set the earliest, even though it’s one of her newer ones. Her first series is about a lady knight, I can lend you that one once you finish this series.”

Weiss chuckled as Ruby chattered about the books, giving her brief synopses on the other series she’d read. In truth, Weiss hadn’t read much outside of class requirements except for graphic novels and the book Ruby had lent her was a far cry from the likes of Gatsby or Huck Finn. They were the sort of books her father would disapprove of, with strong female leads and radical notions of justice, even if they were set in a medieval monarchy. 

She wondered if Ruby’s parents bothered to censor what their daughters consumed or if they trusted them to make good choices. She’d learned that not even an incognito tab would keep her father from knowing what websites she visited and had been tense when she found out that he could access all of her text messages with little effort.

Winter had mentioned getting her a phone with a new number and a computer. Weiss had told her it wasn’t urgent. She borrowed Ruby’s laptop when she needed to write a paper and only went out with Ruby or James or part of the STRQ household, all of whom had each other's phone numbers. 

She missed texting Ruby, but she saw her daily, so it wasn’t too much of a loss. She wouldn’t mind a way to talk to Winter, but they’d emailed back and forth a bit and she’d dropped by the Ironwood house a couple times. A phone wasn’t a dire necessity, not so long as she had actual contact with people who liked her for her, however strange the concept still seemed.

* * *

The restaurant Weiss took Ruby to was a small diner, their menu entirely custom sandwiches, cream sodas, and desserts. 

“My fencing coach mentioned this place a few times as one of his favorites,” Weiss said. “If you want to go somewhere else, we can.”

“I trust your judgement,” Ruby said simply, following Weiss in. The host sat them at a booth, leaving them with menus after taking their drink orders. “Oh, these are elaborate.”

Weiss nodded, reading the descriptions. Some were simple enough - egg or chicken or tuna salad, BLT, meat and cheese on bread, but others had near paragraphs of descriptions.

“Did Elvis really like that?” Ruby asked, reading off the menu. “Bacon, peanut butter, and banana?”

Weiss covered her mouth to mask a gag. “That sounds vile,” she said. “I was looking at the Turkey Delight, it seems simple enough.” Turkey, provolone, mayo, and mango chutney on multigrain bread, she was hoping it would be familiar with a small twist from the chutney.

“You sure you don’t want a pound of meat?” Ruby asked, pointing at the item called The Monster.

“Maybe if I wanted to have a heart attack,” Weiss said with a snort. “What are you thinking?”

“I think The Sailor,” she replied. “Grilled knackwurst, hot pastrami and swiss, sauerkraut, and mustard on grilled rye.”

The waiter came back with their drinks and took their orders, telling them it’d be a few minutes before the food came out. They thanked him, Ruby dropping a straw into her soda while Weiss sipped her water.

“What’s knackwurst?” Weiss asked. “I’ve heard of bratwurst, that was what Yang brought to the barbecue last week.”

“They’re both German,” Ruby said. “Brats are minced up pork or beef in a sausage casing, knackwurst - if I’m remembering right - knackwurst is veal, pork, and garlic in sausage casing. _Wurst_ means sausage.”

Weiss tapped her fingers against her glass. “So is a sausage just meat inside a casing?” she asked. “It’s not a specific kind of meat?”

“I guess so,” Ruby said, shrugging. “I always thought sausage was pork but I guess it isn’t.”

Weiss shrugged. She held up her glass and tilted it to Ruby. “Happy birthday, Ruby,” she said.

Ruby smiled and tapped her glass against it. She blinked after a second, lowering her glass. “I meant to ask before,” she said, “but when’s your birthday?”

Weiss blinked. “December 31st,” she said, setting her glass down.

“We both have holiday birthdays,” Ruby hummed.

“Mm, I got to spend every birthday with my father’s business partners at his New Year’s party,” Weiss said.

“Not this year,” Ruby said. “You can spend it however you like. You’ll be seventeen, right?”

Weiss nodded. “I don’t know what Mr. Ironwood does for New Year’s,” she said, watching the workers behind the diner counter. The door to the kitchen had a bell that would ring every time it swung open and she could half-hear the cooks shouting to each other. “Or Christmas, now that I think about it.”

“What about Thanksgiving?” Ruby asked. “Granny Calavera already told us she’s coming up to visit, so Yang and I have to decide whose room she’ll take over.”

“I think it’s usually just him and Oscar and Penny,” Weiss said, “but Winter told me he already invited her, so I’ll get to spend it with her.”

“First time in a few years, right?” Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded. “First time in - six years, actually.”

“You said she joined the military out of high school,” Ruby said, “what does she do now?”

“She’s still in the army, but she was discharged from active duty a few months ago,” Weiss said. “I think, anyway. She won’t tell me what exactly she does, but she’s told me quite certainly that she won’t be sent off somewhere anytime soon.”

“I wonder why she won’t tell you,” Ruby hummed. “She didn’t seem like the sort to keep unnecessary secrets.”

“She’s not,” Weiss said, “which makes me both more curious and sure that it’s better if I don’t know.”

“Hopefully it’s because it’s boring,” Ruby said, picking up her sandwich, “and not because it’s dangerous.”

“Hopefully,” Weiss agreed. “But it’s made me wonder what I’m going to do after school, now.”

“You didn’t have an idea before?” 

“I was the heiress,” Weiss said simply. “I was expected to major in business to take over for my father.”

“Sounds boring,” Ruby said, wrinkling her nose “I mean, you’ll definitely be good at whatever you pick, but it should be something you’re interested in.”

“I don’t know what I’m interested in, is the thing,” Weiss said. “I didn’t - I wasn’t really allowed to be interested in things or humor ideas that wouldn’t help the company. If it wasn’t practical…”

“Well, what’s something practical that piques your interest?” Ruby asked, pointing her sandwich toothpick at Weiss. “There are the obvious careers - teacher, engineer, lawyer, doctor.”

Weiss paused, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “One of my classes at Alsius was a sort of introduction to law,” she said. “It was interesting - I enjoyed it, actually.”

“There are a lot of types of lawyers,” Ruby said. “Mom’s a divorce lawyer, but her firm deals in family law. Mom’s specialty is divorce cases, Oz handles estates and wills, and Saphron does a lot of prenups and custody cases.”

“Oz,” Weiss said, weighing the name carefully. “They founded the firm?”

“Yep.” Ruby nodded, chewing methodically. “Mom picked their firm because they do a lot of outreach to the queer community, all pro-bono. Oz does, not the firm itself, but it helped the firm gain some traction when it was new.”

“And they’re non-binary?”

Ruby nodded again. “Yeah, out and proud. They actually officiated for Mom and Dad and Mama at their vow renewal.”

“They can’t have it official, though, can they?” Weiss asked. 

Ruby shook her head. “No, polyamorous marriages aren’t legally recognized. Officially, Mama and Mom are married and Dad’s a couch surfer. Actually, they’re all happily married to each other.”

“How’d they choose?” Weiss asked. “It must have been an awkward conversation, who to leave out of the altar.”

Ruby snorted. “Nah, the way Mama put it, the formal marriage is just for taxes and insurance. Since they’re our mothers, it’s easier for Mom to have us ride on her insurance policy if she’s married to Mama. No weird questions about custody or anything, it just looks like they’re a couple who went to the same donor and let him stay involved in the kids’ lives.”

“Somehow, that’s harder to swallow than the idea that three adults can be in a committed, healthy relationship with each other,” Weiss said.

Ruby shrugged. “It is what it is,” she said simply. “I know they love each other and that they love me and Yang. That’s all that really matters, I think.”

“Your uncle loves you, too,” Weiss pointed out. 

“He does,” Ruby said, smiling. “He’s been hanging out a lot with Mr. Ironwood, though.”

“They’re friends,” Weiss said. “I think he might like the peace at the house. Yours is always bustling, but the house is usually pretty peaceful.”

“We’re not _that_ loud,” Ruby argued.

“You have four adults, two teenagers, and a dog,” Weiss said flatly. “If your house is ever silent, either everyone is asleep or dead.”

“Dad snores,” Ruby said. “I… suppose it can be a bit loud, but we didn’t have neighbors so close on Patch. The nearest house was half a mile away.”

“I’m not complaining,” Weiss said hurriedly. “My house was… it was cold and silent, like a museum where you could look but not touch. Your house - and Mr. Ironwood’s house - they feel lived in, like people aren’t just allowed to be there but supposed to be there.”

“They’re welcoming?”

Weiss nodded. “It’s a different sort of welcoming,” she said. “Your house doesn’t feel like there’s a routine, I don’t feel like I’m disrupting anything. It’s like I can jump in and become part of whatever’s going on without issue.” She shifted to cross her ankles, her feet bumping into Ruby’s. “Mr. Ironwood’s house has more of a routine, I think because it’s just been the three of them for so long. Meals at the same time but on a cycle of sorts, without any surprises or unplanned variations, and they do the same things around the same time. The only time the routine changes is when your family is involved, really.”

“Like Uncle Qrow hanging out with Mr. Ironwood?” Ruby asked.

“Or your dad helping Oscar with history,” Weiss said, “or your mom asking me or Penny if we want to walk Zwei with her, or your mama offering to look at my eye.”

“How is the eye?” Ruby asked, gesturing at it. She still wore an eyepatch, which was why they took the bus to the restaurant instead of driving.

“I should get the stitches out tomorrow,” Weiss said. “Then they’ll assess how much of my vision was affected.”

“Any guesses?”

“Honestly?” Weiss lifted her hand to touch the patch gently. “I think I may have lost some vision. I definitely had some depth perception issues before they stitched it up. I’m worried I’ll have to relearn how to drive. I- I’m worried they’ll take my license.”

“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “Mama had some customers before who could drive with one eye, I don’t think partial blindness would affect you too terribly. You’d have to adjust, for sure, but I don’t think you’d lose your license.”

“Your Mama said something similar the other day,” Weiss said. “Mr. Ironwood and Winter did, too, actually. They both know soldiers who lost limbs or eyes who managed to adjust, but…”

“You’re still worried?” Ruby asked, folding her arms on the table when Weiss nodded. “It’s okay to be worried. But we’ve got your back, Weiss. If you lost some vision, we’ll help you adjust.”

“I guess it could be worse,” Weiss said. 

“Total blindness isn’t the worst thing in the world,” Ruby said. “Fox can attest to that.”

“I like seeing things,” Weiss said. “I like looking at art and watching animations. I’d prefer to keep my sight, all things considered.”

“What sense would you give up?” Ruby asked. “If you had to pick.”

Weiss sat back, crossing her arms as she thought. Ruby tapped her foot against Weiss’s, watching her.

“Probably taste,” she said. “Taste is mostly smell, anyway, so if I can keep smell, food would still be easy to enjoy. What about you?”

“Nociception,” Ruby said. “Sensation of pain.”

“I’m not sure that counts,” Weiss said.

Ruby shrugged. “Touch, then. I don’t mind too much how things feel, anyway, so long as they’re not scratchy.”

Weiss snorted. “How do you even know what the sensation of pain is called?”

“Research,” Ruby chirped. “I was writing a story and I went down a rabbit hole on neurological stimuli.”

“I didn’t know you wrote.”

“I’ve been taking a break recently,” Ruby said, stacking the empty plates and putting them at the end of the table. “It’s mostly fanfiction, anyway, and my old fandom is drying up.”

Weiss tilted her head, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder as she watched Ruby. “What fandom?”

Ruby blushed, giggling slightly. “Uh - Warrior Cats, actually.”

Weiss straightened, eyes bright. “Can I read it?”

“You’ve read Warriors?”

“Ruby, _everyone_ read Warriors.”

Ruby laughed, her face losing its blush after a second. “Sure, I can send you the link,” she said. “I put a few stories on hold for the moment since I was watching that show, I’ve got some ideas for one-shots but Yang is usually my beta and she hasn’t finished it yet, so I haven’t done anything except write down the ideas.”

“I’d offer to beta, but I don’t really know what it entails,” Weiss admitted, tugging on her hair.

“Yang usually just checks for typos and makes sure I’m not contradicting myself,” Ruby explained. “She’s got a good memory for what I’ve written and can tell me when I’m detracting from the plot too much.”

Weiss blinked. “I know grammar rules,” she said simply. 

“I break those a lot,” Ruby said. “Using fragments or run-ons and the like. It’s not _proper,_ but it works for the narrative. The hardest lesson was commas, I used to use them way too much.”

“I can offer to edit any technical writing,” Weiss said, “but as far as prose goes, I think you’re on your own. I never thought to be an editor or a writer.”

“But you do something artsy, right?” Ruby asked. 

“I sing,” Weiss said. “I can play the piano, dance ballet, and write music.”

“You do ballet?”

“Did ballet,” Weiss corrected. “It was more of Winter’s thing to dance and more of Whitley’s to play an instrument, but I’m decent at either.”

“If I show you something I wrote,” Ruby said, “then I want to hear you sing.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “A high demand.”

Ruby grinned. “Equivalent exchange,” she said.

Weiss laughed, clear and musical, and Ruby felt her grin broaden across her face as she joined in.

After they paid, Ruby let Weiss borrow her phone to call James while she went to the bathroom. 

“Almost everything is set up here,” he said. “Should I warn them?”

“We’ll be there in twenty minutes or so,” Weiss said, watching the bathroom door for Ruby. “We’re catching the bus now.”

“All right, we’ll see you soon.” There was a pause and a rustle on the other end of the line. “Qrow, what are - Qrow!” A crash sounded in the distance. “You may want to take your time.”

In the background, she heard Tai shout, “Qrow, leave it! Let Raven take that!”

“I’ve got it!” Qrow’s voice sounded in the background. Another crash sounded and she could feel James’ wince through the phone.

“I’ll make it thirty minutes,” Weiss said. “See you soon.”

“Take your time,” James said, sounding strained. 

Weiss shook her head as she hung up, handing the phone to Ruby when she came out of the bathroom. “I think your Uncle broke something,” she said. “Your dad was shouting at him.”

“Oh, I hope they aren’t trying to clean up the yard,” Ruby said. “That always puts them in a bad mood.”

“Your yard is pretty clean,” Weiss said.

“Yeah, but we’ve got some furniture in the shed that Mama wanted to move onto the patio before Granny came to visit,” Ruby said, following Weiss out of the diner and down the street to the bus stop. “Dad and Uncle Qrow can never agree on how to arrange the chairs and Mom always kicks them out of the yard and does it herself.”

Weiss paused by the bus stop, trying to think of a way to stall. Ruby was looking at her phone, replying to a text and not watching where she was going. Hesitantly, Weiss reached out a took Ruby’s right hand in her left, pulling her away from the curb.

Ruby looked from her phone to their hands to Weiss, a blush across her cheeks. Weiss’s face was turning pink and she squeezed Ruby’s hand.

“I didn’t want you to walk into the road,” she said.

Ruby snorted and tucked her phone in her pocket. “That’s fair,” she said. “Penny just wanted to know if we had homework in English.”

Weiss hummed, letting Ruby pick their seats on the bus. “So what do you want to do?” she asked. 

“What do you mean?” Ruby looked at her, confused.

“When you’re older,” Weiss clarified. “What do you want to do?”

She tilted her head as she thought. “I want to be a detective,” she said after a moment. “Or an FBI agent. I want to help people.”

“Doctors help people,” Weiss said, nudging Ruby. 

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like blood. Yang made me watch a documentary last year about the nervous system and it was gross.” She shuddered, shaking her head. “Solving mysteries and puzzles is _way_ better, and more exciting.”

“Considering the book you recommended is about a medieval detective, I shouldn’t be that surprised,” Weiss said. 

Ruby smiled at her. “Mama and I watch cop shows a lot,” she said. “She thinks I should try for Vale U’s Criminal Justice program.”

“It is well-renowned,” Weiss said. “That’s where Fox is going next year, isn’t it?”

Ruby nodded. “Early admission, he found out last year,” she said. “He wants to study psychology. Coco’s still touching up her application but she wants to double up in business and fashion.”

“Ambitious,” Weiss said. “I doubt my father would approve of me going there. Maybe I should give it a look.”

She looked at Ruby with a raised eyebrow, defiant mischief etched across her face, and Ruby grinned.

“You’ve got a year before it’s time to apply,” she said, nudging Weiss’s leg to indicate their stop coming up. “But Mom went to Vale, so she could tell you about their law program.”

“Did they all go to Vale?” Weiss asked as they got off the bus.

Ruby shook her head, pausing on the sidewalk to stretch. “Mom and Dad did,” she said, “but Mama and Uncle Qrow didn’t go to college.” At Weiss’s surprised look, she shrugged. “Rough childhood. Uncle Qrow said they were in their twenties when they got their GEDs, after they met Mom and Dad. They might tell you about it if you ask nicely.”

“You won’t?” Weiss asked. She kept her hands in her pockets as they walked, trying to make Ruby walk at a slower pace than normal.

“I’m not sure if they want me to tell people about their history,” Ruby said. “Mama might not mind, but Uncle Qrow might. It depends on the day, sometimes.”

“Fair enough.” Weiss followed Ruby to her door, hanging back a step behind her so she couldn’t see her trying to bite back a grin. There was a sign on the door that made Ruby frown.

“‘Come to the backyard’,” she read aloud. “Weird.”

Weiss shrugged, following Ruby around the house.

_“SURPRISE!”_

Ruby jumped, backpedaling into Weiss, who caught her by her shoulders to keep her from falling. 

The backyard had been cleaned up and reorganized, with chairs around a newly-dug fire pit lined with stones. Gathered around were Ruby’s family, the Ironwoods, Blake, Coco, and Fox, all grinning as Ruby spluttered and looked between Weiss and the rest of them.

“You planned this?” Ruby asked, looking at Weiss.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I had a small hand in it,” she said carefully, “but it was mostly Yang’s idea.”

If a smile could ever melt ice, Ruby’s could turn glaciers to water. She bounced over to the group and went straight to Coco and Fox to hug them, laughing when Fox picked her up to spin her around. Yang pulled her into a bear hug, saving Blake and Oscar from awkwardly begging off the contact. Penny, who Ruby knew didn’t like hugs unless she initiated them herself, shifted to make room for Weiss in the group.

“We’ve got presents for you!” Penny chirped, pointing to the table on the patio. “I may have told a slight lie when I told you it wasn’t here yet.”

Ruby waved a hand. “That’s okay, Penny, you had good reason.”

“I wrapped the one from me and Coco,” Fox said.

“He did not,” Coco said. “He tried to take the scissors from my table and almost cut his toe off when he knocked them off.”

“Ruby, do you want to cake first or presents first?” Raven asked, bringing out paper plates and plastic cutlery from the dining room. Summer carried out a cake, frosted red with a _15_ written in black icing.

“Cake!” Ruby called. The teenagers all gathered around the table, singing over the adults while Ruby grinned, blowing out the candles once they finished.

“What’d you wish for?” Yang asked.

“Cake,” Ruby said, taking a knife and cutting into it. “Ooh, chocolate.”

She passed out the slices, turning to Coco and Fox once everyone had their cake. They were all sat in the chairs around the firepit, the adults on the patio. “How long have you guys been planning this?”

Coco smirked. “Since school started,” she said. “We hashed out the details at your track meet after you broke Sky’s nose.”

“I still think you should have let me punch Cardin,” Fox grumbled.

Yang stiffened, looking at Fox. “Cardin was at the track meet?” she asked, turning to Ruby. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ruby winced, looking between Coco and Weiss. “It - uh - it didn’t come up?”

Yang looked at Ruby flatly, clearly unimpressed.

“Would it have mattered if she did?” Blake asked, flicking an ear. “You wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

“It would’ve just upset you if you knew he was there,” Ruby said. 

Yang slumped slightly, pouting into her cake. Blake patted her shoulder kindly and she sighed. “Did he give you trouble?” she asked.

“Not much,” Coco said. “Qrow got him to piss off.”

“Sky and Russell were the ones to cause trouble,” Weiss said. 

“Friends of Cardin’s?” Blake asked.

“Cronies,” Fox said. “I don’t think Cardin cares enough about people to have friends.”

“They were harassing Sun,” Ruby said. 

“They got suspended for it,” Coco informed her. “Two weeks. Cardin has kept to himself since then since he doesn’t have anyone to back him up.”

Blake narrowed her eyes, flicking an ear. “So they’re racist?” she asked.

“And homophobic,” Coco said, tugging on her jacket and making her pins rattle.

“And ableist,” Fox interjected. He tapped his cane, bumping it into Ruby’s shoe. “How many canes has he broken? Coco?”

“On purpose, he’s broken four,” Coco said, “hidden at least three, and gotten you to break seven by tripping you or putting stuff in your way. Are we counting the ones you broke by hitting people with them?”

“No,” Fox grumbled. “I wish they were stronger.”

Coco patted his shoulder kindly. “I can only make the 3D printed ones but so thick,” she said. “Getting them to the right length and weight takes time.”

“You print his cane?” Oscar asked.

Coco nodded. “He breaks them so often that it’s faster to print them than wait for him to send in an application and wait for it to be mailed.”

“She has a spare in her trunk at all times,” Fox said. 

“Your teachers never did anything to stop him?” Blake asked, her ears folded against her head. 

“They can’t do shit outside of school,” Fox said, “and Cardin knows that.”

“He’s the worst,” Coco said with a sigh. “Bright side, he’s not applying to Vale.”

“Downside, he got early admission to his father’s alma mater and is letting everyone know how _prestigious_ and _renowned_ it is,” Fox said, voice curling into a sneer. 

“Are you going to Vale?” Blake asked.

“Hopefully,” Coco said. “Fox got in early admissions last year.”

“Before Cardin got his acceptance,” Fox chirped, “so I’ve got that, at least.”

Blake frowned, arms crossed and an ear flicking. Coco shrugged, smiling at her. “He’s always been a jerk, but he knows now that his parents’ money can protect him from almost anything. Goodwitch hasn’t put up with a lot of his shit, though.”

“Goodwitch is mad her favorite students had to leave,” Fox growled. “And she knows it’s Cardin’s fault.”

“Goodwitch is a teacher at Signal,” Yang told Weiss and Blake, who were sharing a confused look.

Oscar and Penny looked between Fox and Yang. “What happened?” Penny asked. 

“A very long story,” Coco said, scraping her plate clean. “Ruby, wanna open your presents?”

Ruby took the olive branch with a nod, letting Yang gather up their plates and cutlery and pitch them in the trash. She knew that Yang didn’t want to talk about it and that it was a topic that made Fox angry, without fail. It made Coco sad, but she would distract everyone before dealing with her emotions.

Yang brought over the presents, passing Ruby a package wrapped in plain red paper. “Me first,” she said. “Older sister privilege.”

Ruby snorted, making a pleased noise when she saw the markers and sketchbook. “Awesome,” she said, setting them in her lap. “Oh, the paper, where should I - Yang!”

Yang took the wrapping paper and pitched it into the fire pit, where it smoldered among the kindling. “It’s paper,” she said. “It burns.”

“I think it’s chemically treated,” Weiss said, crossing her legs at the ankles and watching the paper crumple in the fire. “I’m not sure you should burn it.”

Yang shrugged. “We can ask Port on Monday. Until then, wrapping paper is _paper,_ and as such, goes in the _fire_ as _kindling_ to _burn.”_

Ruby sighed, setting the markers and sketchbook on her lap. Fox poked her with his cane, an eyebrow raised.

“A set of alcohol markers and a new sketchbook,” she told him. He nodded in approval and let Coco hand Ruby the present they’d brought.

It was an art book for a series they’d watched as kids. Blake’s gift, wrapped in a rose-patterned paper, was a dystopian novel Ruby had heard of but never read, Oscar’s was a fluffy red hoodie, and Penny had gotten her a set of earrings that looked like silver cogs. Weiss’s gift, which she passed over with a blush, was a silver torc bracelet with roses engraved into it.

“I love it,” Ruby said, immediately sliding it onto her wrist. “I love all of these, thank you, guys.”

“Awesome,” Yang said. “I think Mama got stuff for s’mores.”

“Let me put this stuff inside!” Ruby chirped, gathering them up in her arms and taking them into the dining room. Summer ruffled her hair fondly, giving her a bag full of s’mores stuff and a handful of skewers. 

“Don’t let Fox get too close to the fire,” Raven said. 

“Don’t worry, Coco and I will watch him,” Ruby said, already halfway out the door. She passed the s’mores supplies around the circle, letting Coco build Fox’s s’more for him.

“You just don’t want me playing with fire,” he accused her, taking the treat anyway.

“Last time you had a skewer, you waved a flaming marshmallow in my face and almost burned off my eyebrows,” Coco said flatly. 

“That’s in the past,” Fox said, waving a hand.

“It was last weekend.” 

Ruby giggled and turned to Weiss, who was rotating her marshmallow over the fire.

“Having fun?” she whispered.

“I’ve never made s’mores before,” Weiss murmured back. 

“That’s a tragedy, Weiss,” Ruby said, letting her marshmallow catch fire and burn before blowing it out. “Best way to do it is like this.”

“What, set it on fire, blow it out, and put it between the chocolate and crackers?” Weiss watched her squeeze the marshmallow off the skewer by gripping it with the crackers.

Ruby shoved it in her mouth, nodding. “Tried and true,” she said around a mouthful of marshmallow, though it was garbled by the food. She swallowed, almost painfully. “Trust me, it’s the best way.”

“If you say so,” Weiss said. Pulling the marshmallow off the skewer without touching it led to her breaking the cracker and the chocolate, but she bit into it anyway, mumbling, “Oh, sticky,” when the marshmallow got on her hand. She nodded at Ruby, a hand lifted to cover her mouth.

“Okay, this is good,” she said. “Very sugary, though.”

“Marshmallows are mostly sugar,” Blake said. 

“Makes me wonder why it doesn’t caramelize when you set one on fire,” Fox said, now with a skewer he was holding over the fire, the marshmallow burning away slowly.

“They’re not just sugar,” Yang said, grabbing the bag. “Yeah, there’s gelatin in them, that’s probably why.”

“Ask your chem teacher,” Coco said. “They’re probably used to weird questions.”

“He’s the one to posit weird questions,” Weiss said. “And he goes on tangents enough as it is.”

“I’m just glad Pyrrha took him to task for being sexist,” Yang said. “I was getting tired of him talking about being _gentlemanly.”_

“Port?” Blake asked, sounding resigned.

“You don’t have him?” Coco asked.

“For anatomy, but Sun is his son,” she said. “He’s got chronic foot in mouth syndrome. I’m used to it, but it can be tiring.”

“Tiring doesn’t _begin_ to cover it,” Yang said, launching into a tangent that had Fox howling with laughter and Coco and Penny gasping. Blake would interject with explanations for some of Port’s habits, but she mostly let Yang talk. 

Ruby nudged Weiss, nodding at the fond look Blake wore as she listened to Yang.

“Ren is handling the betting pool on when they’re getting together,” Weiss whispered. “Pyrrha told me about it.”

“They’re not gonna try and push them, are they?” Ruby asked.

Weiss shook her head. “Ren set rules for betting, the first being no interference,” she said. “I don’t bet on principle, but a trip to the diner says before the end of the school year.”

Ruby snorted and shook her head. “I’m not betting on my sister,” she murmured, “but it’s a nice idea, them together. Yang’s happier when Blake’s around.”

“Are you?” Weiss asked. “Happy, I mean. In general.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, I think I am,” she whispered, running her fingers along the bracelet. “Are you?”

Weiss looked around the fire, at everyone laughing at Yang’s story about Port and Pyrrha, to Ruby and smiled. A warm smile working its way onto her face and Ruby took her hand and squeezed it, returning the smile. Deep in Weiss’s chest, she could feel her heart warm at the gesture and she knew it wasn’t from the fire.

"Definitely."

_“Once in a dream I thought I could keep you safe forever_

_You held onto me, a beautiful scene I still remember_

_When I’m awake, I hide all our chains so you aren’t afraid.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one, like I say for every chapter, took longer than I expected. But that's more because I've had some personal things going on, chief among them: I had to quit my job because of the coronavirus. My grandfather is going through treatments because of growths in his brain and my family asked me to quit so there wouldn't be a risk of passing any COVID-19 germs to him. It's been a week and I already miss it, I worked there for three years and it was a nice constant, but it's a scary time and they were appealing to be considered an essential business.  
> So yeah, I've been having a time, but so has everyone. Y'all can find me on tumblr @reminiscentrevelry, my ask box is always open and I completely fucked up my sleep schedule so feel free to drop by! Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands, and leave a comment! Thanks for reading!


End file.
